indie.knits

WIP: Zelda Blouse

2012-01-27T13:29:00.003-05:00

It's sort of silly that I actually hadn't taken a picture of this blouse-in-progress until this morning. I started it in November or December, plugged away and finished a big chunk of it. I've already run into a lot of really frustrating problems with the pattern, the largest of which was that there were two extra decreases added in where there should be none. The stitch counts were still correct, so I had to look through all the projects on Ravelry and the pictures of the actual garment to puzzle out where those decreases should be removed.

The other problem was mostly my fault, but also a little bit the pattern's: there was no indication that the decreases that I had merrily been doing for the last eight inches of fabric would be changing, so that there were paired increases and decreases that would make the net change in stitch count 0. I almost threw it against the wall in frustration when I realized that I would have to rip back 4 inches of work.

These issues ordinarily wouldn't be a problem - jump on the errata page and off you go! - but the magazine that initially published this pattern changed hands, and the errata is gone. I don't mind doing a little thinking with my knits, but it's frustrating to have to rip out over and over because of mistakes or oversights in the pattern.

On a happier note, the yarn I'm using is wonderful. It's Mirasol Yarns Tupa, a merino/silk blend with a lovely sheen and drape. It really is eye-searingly pink in the light, although these pictures are a little too pink/orange and not enough deep fuchsia. Ah well.

Now I'm off to make a sandwich and go to work. Happy Friday!

Pattern: Zelda by Joan McGowan-Michael

Design Notebook: Painted Tile Hat

2012-01-26T08:00:00.000-05:00

I've had this idea for a hat for a couple of months, inspired by two colors of Tosh Merino Light that told me they wanted to be together. (I try to tell myself that this is totally not weird.) The colors are called Vintage Lace and Isadora, and I love their faded, slightly romantic look when combined in colorwork. The only thing I worry is that this will read as 6-year-old-girl's ski hat when I'm going for slightly-twee-indie-girl's slouchy hat.

I know I've seen this sort of coffee-bean-esque motif in Shetland colorwork patterns before, but I wanted to chart it out myself and see what worked best. The two motifs I knit are slightly different: one is slightly more open in the center and echoes the diamond between the motifs very well, and the other has more solid coffee beans, but the stitch in the center muddles the overall effect. (That stitch is necessary, I found out, if I want to avoid tacking the contrasting color over four bazillion cream stitches. And I really, really hate tacking.) You can probably guess which one I liked better.

I don't like the bottom railroad track band so much, but I do really like the look of the row of alternating cream and pink. I may cast on for this hat in the next few days and see what happens.

(Apologies, as always, for the wonky drawing.)

Hat Challenge FO #2: Salt Creek 2.0

2012-01-25T16:39:00.000-05:00

Last week I got a lot of knitting done: two hats in a week, to be exact. I started this one on the first snow day and finished it in three or four days, partially because I had to rip back some of the decreases a few times. It's sort of crazy how much this hat grows - when it was first finished, it was a squishy, wrinkly little mess, but after it soaked for fifteen minutes, it really opened up into a nice, drapey, and very soft fabric. When it was dry, I noticed the cashmere content much more than before it was washed. It formed a super soft halo that makes the hat really nice to wear. Most of the time I have Lumberjack take pictures of my FOs, then I take them off and squirrel them safely away. The other day, I kept on wearing the hat - it even sort of went with my outfit!

I just have to read over the pattern one last time, then it's off to the test knitters. Hooray!

Pattern: Salt Creek, by me

Yarn: Anzula Cricket MCN, colorway Boysenberry

Yardage: Just about 215 yards of a 225-yard skein

Needles: Size 4 US Addi Turbo Lace 16" circulars and size 4 US Hiya Hiya DPNs.

FO: Lilac Leaf Shawl

2012-01-24T08:00:00.000-05:00

Over the Christmas break I finished up a few languishing knits in progress, and this shawl, Lilac Leaf Shawl (rav link) from Knitted Lace of Estonia, was one of them. I had an embarrassingly small amount of knitting left to do - about two leaf repeats and an edging - but that was enough for it to sit around in the WIP basket for months on end.

This is my second time making this shawl out of Classic Elite Silky Alpaca Lace, and both times I've ended up really happy with the end product. The first Lilac Leaf shawl went to my host mother, and I liked making it so much that I decided to cast on for another one, this time to keep. The pattern is very, very easy - probably the easiest pattern in Knitted Lace of Estonia. The edgings give it just a little bit of complexity, but are very fast to knit. I think what killed me was the endless repeats of the center lilac leaf pattern.

As with the first shawl, I knit it way longer than the pattern calls for. The pattern says to knit the leaf repeat (each of 2 leaves) a total of 14 times, plus two more to end, making 30 leaves total. I knit 40 leaves and used right around 900 yards of yarn, which makes me think that the pattern as written needs right around 700 yards rather than the 500 yards called for. With this type of rectangular shawl, though, it's really easy resize for whatever yardage you have: just knit both edgings and then knit the center pattern until you're just about out of yarn. Then graft, block, and feel mightily impressed with your ingenuity.

Another for the shawl drawer!

Pattern: Lilac Leaf Shawl by Nancy Bush, from Knitted Lace of Estonia
Needles: Size 6 US Addi Turbo Lace
Yarn: 2 balls of Classic Elite Silky Alpaca Lace, color 2419 Fandango Pink (hahah, Fandago)
Yardage: about 900 yards out of 940
Mods: Knit 40 leaves instead of 30.

Stashbusting Goals: Sweater(ish Sort of Thing)s

2012-01-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

Hokay, so. I'm finding it really (really really) helpful to list out all of these things I'm hoping to knit this year. So here's another list, for fun and profit! (Although not actually profit. Unless perhaps you count Money Not Spent On Yarn as profit.)

If you take a quick peek at my projects page on Ravelry, you'll notice that I'm not much of a sweater knitter. I have knit a handful of sweaters and enjoyed it, but I have two major problems when it comes to knitting a sweater project: first, that despite loving clothes, I have very little idea of the type of sweater that is actually flattering to me, and second, I tend to buy in single skeins of things like laceweight or fingering weight, which translates to not that many sweater's worth of anything in my stash.

Which is not to say I have absolutely no sweater's quantities in my stash. I do. But they tend to be for little shells, short-sleeved numbers, and such. I've found that once I have a sweater shape that works for me, I do wear it. The best bets for me so far are little fitted shells, drapey vest-like layers, and big cozy sweaters. These are the garments I actually reach for (on purpose!) when I'm wearing my hand-knits. (On a slightly related tangent: The little vintagey mohair lace sweater that I knit as a shop sample was absurdly fun to make. Why don't I do this more?)

I am hoping to keep my aspirations reasonable, though, by taking my measly sweater-knitting from last year and tacking on 1 extra sweater.

So, my goal is to knit 4 sweaters in 2012.

1. Zelda by Joan McGowan-Michael, using 6 skeins Mirasol Tupa (822 yards) (In progress since November 2011)

2. Dominique (2nd picture of Preview) by Mathew Gagny, from Knitting off the Axis, using 8 balls of Portland Tweed (960 yards) (In progress since December 2011)

3. Rosamund's Cardigan by Andrea Pomerantz, from Interweave Knits Fall 2009, using 9 skeins of Elsbeth Lavold Chunky Al (738 yards)

4. Bubble Pullover (rav link) by Norah Gaughan, from Knitting Nature, using 5 skeins of Cascade Lana Bambu (980 yards)

All told, that's 3,500 yards,

1.9886 miles. (Can I just say holy crap, here?)

Two of these sweaters I already have on the needles and need to get cracking on. The turquoise alpaca is deep, deep stash: I bought it when I was on leave from college for a year back in 2006/2007, which is only six months or so after I got really into knitting. It's hipster alpaca - it was stash before being stash was cool. I've had Rosamund's Cardigan queued for a long time and had begun to lose faith in my pattern choice, but then I saw a knitting friend's super cute version and my faith was restored. The Lana Bambu is about the same color of a sweater I used to have and wore literally to death. I brought it with me to Indonesia and wore it every day I was there, then an unfortunate washing accident rendered it fun-sized when I got home.

I'm really crossing my fingers that I can get myself motivated enough to knit me some sweaters. Hopefully, the Lists will save the day!

All sweater images copyright their designers and/or publishers.

Snow Day WIP

2012-01-20T08:00:00.000-05:00

Another Big Snow has descended on the greater metropolitan Seattle area in the last week or so, and because of it, I've stayed at home all week. Yesterday I watched a car try in vain to drive up the little hill you see pictured here: it kept on sliding backwards, tires spinning, and after 15 minutes of this business the poor driver limped it back to its parking space and went back inside.

On the bright side, I've gotten a ton of knitting and pattern-writing done! The Salt Creek (rav link) pattern has been written up and is currently being vetted for errors, and as of 7 pm last night (after these pictures were taken) the knitting is finished. I like how it looks like a sea urchin without spines when it's flopped out on the porch.

This yarn, Anzula Cricket MCN, has been a dream to work with. It's really squooshy and lovely, although it behaves more like a DK weight than the sport-weight it advertises. I am finding that this pattern eats yarn like crazy: so far, the gauge I've measured for the garter trellis pattern of the body is about 6 stitches per inch (pretty normal), while the row gauge is just about 11 rows per inch (yikes). Compared to the 9 rows per inch - on the same size needle - of Little Things, that's quite a bit more yarn being used up. I can definitely blame that on the density of garter stitch, but a side benefit is that this hat is much more substantial and warm than it would be in stockinette.

I've been working on some alternate decreases, too; the last Salt Creek I made had a double decrease in the center of 3 columns of twisted stitches, which gave it a nice line in theory, but in practice made it fold strangely at the beginning of those decreases. I've been messing around with twisted decreases, and have come up with single decrease alternatives that maintain the same lines that I wanted for the decreases, but distort the fabric much less. I've already ripped back the decreases once to clean up the left-leaning version of this decrease (as many knitters know, the left-leaning decrease is notoriously sloppy) and hit upon a solution I like. With any luck I'll get the pattern out to my test knitters sometime in the next week!

Pattern Review: Coastal Knits

2012-01-19T08:00:00.000-05:00

One of my favorites of the many recently released pattern books is, hands down, Coastal Knits. I had seen and loved Hannah Fettig's light, ethereal designs before - I love her easy, elegant use of knitted fabric, and I'm pretty sure I have at least one of her patterns in my queue right now.

I was less familiar with Alana Dakos, mostly because she has released quite a few children's patterns - very cute patterns! But, since I don't have kids, I'm an unabashedly selfish knitter, and most of my closest friends don't have kids yet either, I didn't pay much attention to her growing pattern library. A silly oversight on my part, since a second peek at her published designs after buying and enjoying Coastal Knits revealed that she has a ton of cute hats, cowls, and accessories in addition to her children's garments.

Anyhoo - on to Coastal Knits! These are my favorites of the bunch, which is pretty impressive considering that they comprise 5 of the 10 patterns in the entire booklet. And these are just my very, very favorites; I would probably knit any of the patterns in this book.

Wildflower Cardigan by Alana Dakos

I love this sweater. I love the little flower details on the pockets and the little scallops at the sleeve and bottom hems (so cute!) and I like that it's a scoop neck, which makes it very wearable for me. The three-button closure creates a nice waistline for those of us with bigger busts. Plus it's knit in Madelinetosh Pashmina - an instant bonus for a Madtosh junkie like me!

Gnarled Oak Cardigan by Alana Dakos

Another knock-out. I love the motif around the neckline that adds a little bit of interest to a very classic shape. One of my favorite vintage sweaters is a similar shape to this, and it's easy to throw over just about anything. I also like the wooden buttons and the mossy color of the hand-dyed Pigeonroof Studios yarn she chose. Sometimes stockinette is the best way to make a special yarn sing, and this sweater is a great example of that.

Rocky Coast Cardigan by Hannah Fettig

This cardigan probably looks the most like my favorite comfy sweaters, the ones that I throw over absolutely everything when I need a little extra warmth. I like the easy shape and the deep ribbing. I also happen to have 6 skeins of minty-green Malabrigo that would would be awesome in this pattern. Hmmmmm.

Rustling Leaves by Alana Dakos

I love this hat. I love the sway in the leaves and the cheeky shape and I think it would look gorgeous in any number of yarns, both hand-dyed and commercially dyed. I've seen a few of these hats in progress already, and I'm itching to cast on.

Sand and Sea by Alana Dakos

This little shawlette I wasn't super sold on; at least, until I realized that it only takes about 250 yards of laceweight and 125 yards of fingering weight. Which means that all of those little odds and ends left over from lace and sock projects can find new life. It's a cute, functional little piece that could provide endless opportunities for mixing color and fiber with the added bonus of using up the leftover stash. I already have two yarns in mind to try it out.

Overall, this is a beautifully photographed and laid out book that provides not only knitting patterns, but also interesting information about local dyers and charming anecdotes about the natural spaces that inspired the designers. I think in general, I was more drawn to the sunny California-inspired pieces, simply because I grew up on the shores of the Pacific. I have a feeling that once I see a few more of the Maine-inspired designs knit up on Ravelry - and once it starts warming up in my area - I'll warm up to them as well. For now, Coastal Knits is going to remain a frequently paged-through addition to my library: for the knits, the natural eye-candy, and (let's be real here) for the sun-dappled photographs of California that will help keep the dreary rain of Seattle at bay.

All photographs copyright Alana Dakos and Hannah Fettig.

Hat Challenge: Take 2, Now With Added List!

2012-01-18T11:19:00.000-05:00

So, back when I first proposed my Hat Challenge way back in August, I made one big mistake: I didn't actually write down all the hats I was going to make. I'm a person who thrives on lists. There's this delicious satisfaction in crossing things off of lists. They're great for future reference. Sometimes it's hard to hold onto 6 separate ideas in your head, but it's easy on paper. Hooray lists!

So it seems like a silly mistake to not have written a list of the hats I'm going to be making.

So for Hat Challenge! 2012, I am committing to knitting 6 hats. Here they are, in no particular order:

1. Little Things by Veera Välimäki, using one skein of Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light in colorway Tern (420 yards) Finished 1/15/12, actually used 210 yards.

2. Salt Creek prototype 2 by me, using one skein of Anzula Cricket MCN in colorway Boysenberry (250 yards)

3. Quincy by Jared Flood, using one skein of Araucania Azapa in color 811 (140 yards)

4. Sockhead Hat by Kelly McClure, using one skein of Madelinetosh Pashmina in colorway Chambray (360 yards)

5. Beaumont Tam by Jared Flood, using one skein each Fibre Company Road To China Light in colorways Peridot and Garnet (318 yards)

6. Rikke Hat by Sarah Young, using one skein Madelinetosh Tosh Merino DK in colorway Trodden (225 yards)

All told, that's 1,503 yards

also known as

.8540 miles.

That should keep me busy for a while!

All pattern photographs copyright their designers.

Hat Challenge FO #1: Stevedore Hat

2012-01-17T08:00:00.000-05:00

Hoo boy. I wasn't sure about this hat until about two days ago. See, I was inspired to make it when I saw my friend Ondrea working on a really cute version just about a year ago. It stuck in my brain, but I sometimes have this problem where I can't use anything in my stash for a project because it just isn't quite suited to it. I had my heart set on some Tosh Merino Light in some sort of grey, and I finally found the right color at one of my LYSs about six months ago. I swatched, got gauge, and cast on, but realized after knitting about a foot of the brim that I had cast on with the wrong size needle. A while after that, when I was no longer angry at it, I cast on again, knit the brim in a day or two, picked up and knit the body of the hat, and then tried it on my head.

And it was tight. Like, really tight. And silly-looking. I put it down for a month or two, then finally threw caution to the wind and finished it the other night. And lo and behold, a good blocking has turned it from a "maybe" into a "hell yes". Lumberjack helped me pick out these nicely weathered wooden buttons, and I sewed it all up this last weekend.

I call it the Stevedore hat because a good piece of it was knit in the front seat of my car in Ballard, a part of Seattle known for its maritime industries, while killing 10-20 minutes before class in the morning.

And can I just say that Tosh Merino Light is one of the most fun yarns to work with, ever?

Okay. Glad we had this talk.

Pattern: Little Things by Veera Välimäki

Yarn: Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light in colorway Tern, about 210 yards of a 420-yard skein

Needles: US 2.5 DPNs for the brim, size 4 US 16" Addi Turbo Lace circulars for the body

Mods: I only picked up something like 120 stitches when I initially picked up stitches for the body of the hat. On the next row, I increased eight stitches evenly across the round. It doesn't seem to have affected the fit or anything.

I also only knit 1 inch of i-cord instead of 2 inches at the top, since 1 inch seemed long enough.

FO: California Roll Scarf

2012-01-16T08:00:00.000-05:00

The end of last week was yet another blocking/finishing extravaganza. This happens every so often: I finish lots of things and toss the into a basket to block them eventually, and then one day I wake up and want to finish and weave in the ends of All The Things. I think the studio overhaul of last week really got my productivity kickstarted.

This project was such a nice little palate cleanser. It was really fun to watch the colors change, and the lace pattern was completely brainless. Plus the finished product is everything I wanted it to be: light, warm, and very colorful. It also looks like the kind of thing you could buy for eighty bucks at Anthropologie, for the lovely price of $33 and fifteen hours of knitting time.

And, in case anybody wanted a refresher of the pattern:

1-Row Lace Scarf

Using long-tail cast-on, CO 40 stitches.

*k2, yo, k2tog* across row.

Repeat this row on both RS and WS until scarf reaches desired length.

BO.

Block the sucker.

FIN

Pattern: See above!

Yarn: Freia Flux Lace by Knitwits/Freia Handpaints, colorway Dartmoor, all of one 430-yard ball

Needles: Size 5 US Addi Turbo Lace

The Saga of the Bag

2012-01-13T13:05:00.000-05:00

The last four years or so have seen a seemingly endless parade of bags that haven't quite worked for their purpose. It started with a pretty magenta faux-leather bag that was the perfect size and shape by a Portland bag designer called Queen Bee. I loved that bag, and used it every day until the straps totally crapped out. I wanted to buy another one, but they stopped including this size in their line-up.

So I moved on to a Namaste Hermosa bag. It was perfect in many ways, but again I had strap issues - this time, only four months after I bought it. I did take it to Japan with me, though, because it fit my books and umbrella and cash with ease, and just tried not to look at the super stretched out handles. The only problem was that it was a bag that was too big for the Japanese lifestyle, in an almost comical way. Every time I got on a packed train with my gigantic-ass bag, I held on for dear life while the train pitched back and forth, hoping that my bag wouldn't end up in some poor obāsan's face.

And, while I was in Kyoto one weekend, I found a great little bag for 500 yen. I started using this one, and when the handles of the Hermosa started driving me too crazy, I switched to it as my primary bag.

It worked pretty well, although it wasn't big enough to carry schoolbooks or bigger knitting projects around. This bag lasted until last June, when I was stepping off of a hotel shuttle and one of the straps ripped off completely. So I was back to square one: no bag, but this time while traveling, when I really, really, really needed a bag. I ducked into a vintage shop, bought a $15 bag that was too small, and thought no problem, I'll just buy a new one when I get home!

And then I figured out that the kind of bag I need is completely out of style in the mid-range bag market, and the high-end bags all cost upwards of a thousand dollars. So it was six months later, after a lot of searching, that I found a bag that fit all of my criteria: must be big enough to carry at least one notebook, my lunch, my knitting, all of my keys and cards, and the random crochet hooks, measuring tape, and stitch markers that I invariably need while I'm out and a knitting project hits a snag.

While out Christmas shopping with my mom, I walked into Coach on a last desperate search for a bag that served my purposes and was under two grand, and found this beauty, a Madison Leather Lindsay Satchel in Cherry. Actually, they didn't have the Cherry in the store, but I saw the color and fell in love, and my awesome mom decided to get me an early Christmas present. And about a week later, after years and years of buying hundred-dollar bags that crapped out in six months to a year, I was the proud owner of a bag big enough for all my crap, that cost more, but had a warranty to cover the problems I've had with cheaper bags.

I waited until after Christmas to actually start using it. I'm smitten. When I first got it, the red seemed like it could be too much, but every time I look at it I feel happy. I love that it's unusual, it does exactly what I need it to, and I hope that I have it forever.

Studio Overhaul 2012

2012-01-12T19:22:00.000-05:00

So one of the things I was most excited about when we moved into this apartment was the front room, which is a great size for a small studio. I already knew that I wanted to get one of the Ikea square shelving units. It's the perfect size and shape for yarn, and doubles as a bookshelf. I had it all arranged a couple of months ago, but lately everything was starting to get out of control. I was running out of room for my fashion school binders and the desk was covered in circular needles and DPNs from all the times I've rooted through my needle stash. My laceweight stash was also starting to have a life of its own and spilled out of its cube whenever I was looking for anything.

This morning I got up, ate breakfast, and then organized the crap out of this room for the next five hours or so. I would have a picture of the before, but it was so messy that it was embarrassing. So what did I do?

- I consolidated all of my magazines and books on the lower shelves. We don't have any pets right now, but I want to be prepared so if anyone ever brings theirs over that my yarn is out of gnawing range. A dog would have to be pretty dedicated to rip up a magazine that's tightly packed in with the others.

- I organized all my magazines by date, made a cube for my fashion school binders and sewing books, made a cube for my fashion magazines, and put all of my sewing patterns in a little basket.

- I moved everything in baskets to the cubes that are difficult to reach. Over the last few months, I've learned that it's much easier to grab an entire basket than to search for a single skein of anything from those cubes.

- I gave my lace stash an extra cube for wound skeins.

- I separated my sweaters' worth stash into three cubes: fingering/lace/sport, dk/worsted/aran/chunky, and wound skeins of all weights.

- I made one cube for yarn that I'm intending to use soon.

- I dusted. Gross.

- I also took out a rocking chair that had been here and put my brand spankin' new skeinwinder/swift in its place. It's so cute!

I still have to find somewhere to put all the paper patterns from school, which are currently perched on top of the shelving unit, but other than that I'm pretty happy with how much better it looks. I also realized that the reason this room feels so absurdly dark is because one of the overhead bulbs is out. I had to turn up my camera's ISO to 800 and down to a shutter speed of 1/20, and still had to do post-processing to get it light enough to see, which is a fancy way of saying it's reeeeally dark in there. Also: time for a new camera, because this one is starting to have fits of dementia.

I'm hoping to get some blocking done tonight on my new clean floor. I'm so excited!

Outfit Post: Cowichan-Style Vest & Boots

2012-01-11T17:36:00.003-05:00

I designed and knit this Cowich-style vest for a private reading during my junior year and have gotten quite a bit of wear out of it since. At first I wasn't sure about how it would fit in my wardrobe, but it's ended up being a really good layer, particularly at the fashion school where it can get cold while we're doing patternwork downstairs. And, despite my newbie mistake of doing a double-decrease for the waist shaping instead of two single decreases (which creates a weird ridgey thing that has calmed down a lot in wearing!), I do think that it's also a great example of how larger-gauge knits can still be flattering. That large-scale motif at the waist serves the same visual purpose as a belt, but without the bulk, and emphasizes my smallest point. Hooray!

It's also great over dresses, which I hadn't even thought about until recently. The dress itself isn't perfect - the lining fabric was intended for a much smaller-busted woman than I - but it has been another good layer that I wear with sweaters a lot. I like the look of the drapier/bulkier top with the super short skirt; it's a fun way to play with proportion, and a really good reason to wear kickass boots!

I've been mostly wearing t-shirts and big sweaters lately, but this morning I knew I had to wear tights to class in case I had to fit my sloper, which is a basic fit pattern that we're making for ourselves so that we can make our own clothes. It was also freezing, so I wore my long boots. I think I posted about it before, but I got the heel tips replaced on these boots about a month ago and have been wearing them at least once a week since then - a pretty great use of twenty bucks, if you ask me.

Happy Wednesday!

Vest: Hand-knit by me

Dress: Free People Fall 2011

Tights: Hue

Boots: J Shoes

Earrings: Tasi

On Inspiration and Changing Perceptions

2012-01-10T19:22:00.004-05:00

The past couple of months have been a learning experience for me in a few major and unexpected ways. In addition than the basic skills I'm picking up from my classes, I'm also starting to think about inspiration and creativity in a really different way. Where before, I always thought that a creative person should be able to come up with ideas in a vacuum, fashion school is constantly reminding me that everything is connected, and thus, inspiration is everywhere.

Part One: In Which Our Hero Is Humbled

I had a moment back when I was a pretty new knitter where I thought I was the coolest shit. See a pretty hat in a magazine? I could totally figure out that stitch pattern if I wanted to! See a sweater that I like in a store? It's a knee length, black cobweb-weight lace knit, whatever - I could totally make that! I was so hopped up on this idea that I could do anything that I want that I forgot two important things:

1. Valuing other people's creative work is important, because if you don't, they may not keep making it. This is one of the biggest reasons that I buy patterns by independent knitwear designers, and sometimes pay a little more for handmade: because when it comes to designers, my voice is in my dollars. This is twofold for me, because someday I want to be one of those designers. So I try to give the support that I would want to receive.

2. Sometimes, and by sometimes I mean most of the time, reinventing the wheel is boring, and the thought of actually knitting 6 billion yards of black lace fabric makes me want to curl up into a ball and cry myself to sleep in a locked room. If I want that sweater right now, I should probably just buy it instead of kidding myself into thinking I'll actually make it, or worse yet, instead of being so delusional that I actually go out, buy the yarn, start the project, and then set it on ritual fire six years later when I realize that it's a total and disastrous waste of time.

I finally got out of that rut a while back, but I was definitely reminded of it when I bought the magazines above. A few years ago, my cocky little self would have been all but I can just make my own patterns why should I buy magazines and books la la la, but my super-awesome-creative-work-valuing self of today is all over that shit. When I see something that I like, I give myself the permission to like it instead of beating myself up that I didn't think of it first. It's been very freeing.

Part Two: In Which Our Hero Appreciates Her Own Nice Points, Too

This last week I had my second day of History of Costume. One of our assignments was to come up with two outfits based on the period of history we had talked about the class before. At the beginning of class, we each showed our sketches and talked about our inspirations. The picture above is a rough sketch I did inspired by Egyptian gala dresses, which were white, sheer dresses with a red sash tied in a particular way at the waist, like so:

It was interesting to see what everyone had come up with given the same basic task, and it made me appreciate how different our brains are. I enjoyed drawing this assignment, and I actually liked the outcome, too. It was a nice reminder that inspiration really is just another a raw material for the creative process. It may or may not be apparent what the inspiration was when you step back and look at the finished product, but no matter what, if it was a springboard that got your mind to the right place to create something you like, it did its job.

It was also a nice reminder that I can, on occasion, create things that I'm happy with. Which is really nice to remember when you've just royally fucked up sewing a flat fell seam for the zillionth time.

Part Three: In Which Our Hero Gives Herself Permission To Be A Sponge (And Like It)

One of my main reasons for thinking so much about creativity and originality is this awesome web series: Everything Is A Remix.

The basic premise is that literally everything that has been created, from fashion to food to movies, is based upon or inspired by something else. And there's a bunch of cool and/or downright fascinating illustrations of that point.

Speaking of freeing: since everything you could possibly do or make has already been done by someone else before in both better and abysmally worse ways, there are no limits in what you can try. It also removes this idea that somehow, you have to be "original". And although I think that sometimes constraints can be good, especially for making you focus on a topic or project, this particular one is dumb and counterproductive. While wholesale copying of someone's personal design or thought is never good, being afraid to create things for fear that they may not be original enough kills creativity before it even sprouts.

So part of my goal this year, in both fashion school and knitting, is to be a total sponge. Rip up magazines. Read lots of blogs. Listen to lots of music and sing along. Give myself permission to be unoriginal, to copy and learn from people who are great at what they do (while giving full credit where it's due, of course). Appreciate creative people and their work, and let them be an inspiration for me.

And lastly, the yarn I just bought above is from Pigeonroof Studios, a silk/cashmere/merino laceweight blend, and I love it passionately. It's a pale blue-green, and it's completely outside of my color comfort zone. But I love it, for some strange and compelling reason. And I'm going to trust that gut feeling and make it into something beautiful and lacy and completely unoriginal.

Egyptian image copyright wikipedia

Stashbusting Goals: Laceweight

2012-01-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

6 shawls to knit in 2012 (in no particular order):

1. Harbour Lights by Sivia Harding, 2 skeins of Jade Sapphire Cashmere/Silk in colorway Sterling (800 yards) In progress 1/7/12

2. Trousseau by Carol Feller, 2 skeins Jade Sapphire Mongolian Cashmere 2-ply in colorway Granny Smith (800 yards)

3. Damask by Kitman Figeroa, 1 ball Mini Maiden in colorway Straw (546 yards)

4. The Orchid Thief Shawlette (rav link) by Ysolda Teague, 1 skein Handmaiden Sea Silk in colorway Moss (437 yards)

5. Brandywine (rav link) by Romi Hill, 1 skein Sanguine Gryphon Gaia Lace in colorway Ladyslipper (420 yards)

6. Rosebud Faroese-Style Shawl (rav link) by Margaret Stove, 2 balls Buffalo Gold Lux in colorway Mountain Berry (660 yards)

So the grand total of yardage used up if I complete all of these patterns is.......

3,663 yards

also known as

2.08125 miles.

I'd better get knitting.

All shawl photos copyright of designers/publishers.

Stash Appreciation: Buffalo Gold Lux

2012-01-06T13:30:00.001-05:00

This last summer I went to a trade show courtesy of the LYS where I work, which was an awesome experience. One of the highlights was talking to the folks over at Buffalo Gold - they were friendly, super knowledgeable, and had shelves and shelves of beautiful samples and yarn. I was intrigued by this yarn, Buffalo Gold Lux, but shied away a little at the pricetag.

Fast forward a couple of months and my LYS has a bunch of skeins in the shop and I've been drooling all over them. I've never seen a yarn quite like this: tightly spun with quite a bit of texture, as if each ply were a tiny bead on a string, and yet still very, very soft with a slight sheen. The content: 45% bison down, 20% cashmere, 20% silk, and 15% Tencel. It's any luxury-fiber lover's nerdy dream. So I sat, and I waited, and I drooled, and I dreamed of making one of Margaret Stove's beautiful shawls from Wrapped In Lace.

Namely this one, the Rosebud Faroese-Style Shawl (rav link), which conveniently would take just about two skeins: just enough to satiate my lust, but not so much that it would break the bank.

So a couple weeks ago I did it. Two skeins of Lux in the colorway Mountain Berry, all wound and waiting to be knit up.

Is it okay to pick favorites in your own stash, all of which you ostensibly love and adore equally (most of the time)?

I think so.

Shawl photograph copyright Interweave.

WIP: Harbour Lights Shawl

2012-01-05T16:57:00.001-05:00

About two years ago, while I was in college, I went on a trip to a yarn shop with my friend Sparkle. I was having a really intense semester, and getting out of Oberlin felt both thrilling and wrong. So we went to River Colors and petted yarn, and I fell deeply in love with this Jade Sapphire Silk Cashmere 4-ply. With the silk content of the yarn, the steely grey read as silver. I couldn't put it down. I bought it, ferreted it away in my stash and hoped for the day that I would find the right project to do the yarn justice.

And finally, a couple of months ago I was paging through Sivia Harding's patterns and found this shawl called Harbour Lights, a triangular beaded shawl that took just about 800 yards of laceweight. Exactly the same amount as I had of the silver Jade Sapphire. I bought the pattern and beads on a whim without even matching them to the yarn and put it on my queue.

I cast off the California Roll scarf yesterday, so I needed a new project. So I cast on for Harbour Lights.

I think I like it.

Harbour Lights pattern photo copyright Sivia Harding.

Pattern Review: Wool People Volume 2

2012-01-04T18:40:00.001-05:00

When I jumped on the internet this morning before heading off to school, I saw that the new Brooklyn Tweed collection, Wool People Volume 2, had gone live! It's another great collection with a little bit for everyone: colorwork mittens, hats, scarves, and plenty of sweaters. There's even a men's sweater in there!

I love the direction that Brooklyn Tweed has taken his company, in using the best contemporary independent designers, allowing them to retain the rights to their patterns and receive fair compensation for their work. I'm sure that his own work as a designer has influenced how he collaborates with others, and that mutual respect really shows.

Plus: gorgeous. These are the real standouts for me:

Fuse by Veronik Avery

I'm not entirely sure how the construction works from these photos, but I'm intrigued. I like the drape of the fabric and the almost cowl-like neckline combined with the asymmetrical fronts; it creates a relaxed silhouette that still feels just a little bit refined. Classic Veronik Avery.

Kendrick by Ann McCauley

This stitch pattern really sings in Shelter. I like how the row of circles at the waist suggests a peplum, and if I were to make this sweater I would have that motif hit a little higher to really highlight that hourglass shape. It has a romantic feel to it that I love.

Lawrence by Melissa LaBarre

I didn't really notice this sweater at first glance, but it captured my eye when I was paging through the collection a second time. This looks like a fantastic layering piece, the perfect slouchy sweater to wear over a t-shirt and jeans or a long-sleeved dress. The front motif adds interest to the garter stitch, and the cowl neck keeps it warm and comfortable.

Spruce Forest by Nancy Bush

This shawl has three key attributes that automatically make it one of my favorites:

1. It's by Nancy Bush.

2. It's a triangular shawl that takes right around 800 yards.

3. It has nupps.

I'm sold.

Overall, I love this collection. Shelter and Loft are already beautiful, versatile yarns, and the pattern support offered through the Loft and Fall collections and the two volumes of Wool People shows great creative energy and momentum. The only thing I'd really like to see in future volumes is Loft used single-weight in a sweater design - there was one sweater design (Ash by Amy Christoffers) that used Loft held doubled, but I'd love to see how it works up as a larger-gauge sweater fabric. Although with the rate that these collections have been coming out, I'm sure it won't be long before my wish comes true.

All images copyright Brooklyn Tweed.

WIP: California Roll Scarf

2012-01-03T18:13:00.001-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, my mom and I went out to Churchmouse Yarns and Teas on Bainbridge Island for the day. I had seen this yarn, called Freia Flux Lace in the colorway Dartmoor, the last time I was at the shop during the summer, but had no idea what to do with it. It happens that my mom recently cast on a scarf out of a handpainted silk laceweight using a basic 1-row pattern, and it looked great. I was itching to make one of my own out of a colorful yarn, and this little ball seemed perfect!

Sometimes I have yarn that doesn't get photographed before I cast on. It never even makes it into the stash because it knows what it wants to be and practically jumps onto the needles.

It's been really fun to watch the colors change. I think this scarf will really benefit from a firm blocking, and I have a feeling that it will be ethereally light and beautiful when it's finished. It reminds me of something you might see at Anthropologie, and it rolls up into a ball that looks very much like a sushi roll.

And in case anyone's interested, the pattern is as follows:

1-Row Lace Scarf

Using long-tail cast-on, CO 40 stitches.

*k2, yo, k2tog* across row.

Repeat this row on both RS and WS until scarf reaches desired length.

BO.

Block the sucker.

FIN

Stash Appreciation: Tosh Sock

2012-01-02T18:35:00.000-05:00

My mom and I went on a yarn excursion on Saturday, when I picked up this skein of Tosh Sock in Vintage Sari. I had seen this colorway online a couple of times, but never really loved it - but then I saw it in person and was smitten. It's another just-barely variegated yarn, with shots of gold and lavender in a mostly pink base. I could really see the inspiration of sari silk in this skein: the delicate gold in the weft, the jeweled, iridescent color. I think this cries out to become one of Hunter Hammersen's sock designs, maybe one from Silk Road Socks, like Serab.

Today I'm home snuggling my yarn. New Year's Day I woke up with a cold, and only the beckoning call of my History of Costume class got me out of bed this morning.

I do have a couple of goals for this year, both the yarn-related ones I already posted about and some others:

1. Work on knitting down the stash. Saturday was my last hurrah of yarn buying for now.

2. Watch 3 movies a week, and go to more local music shows. These were big things that Lumberjack and I did in high school together, and some of my favorite bands are still the indie bands that we discovered way back when. In fact, my love of indie music and films is the reason this blog is called indie.knits!

3. Eat healthier food, and less of it.

4. Kick ass at fashion school.

5. Adopt some rats. My parents still have one very old little girl rat, but she's very bitey and lives several miles away. I really miss having them around!

Now it's off to eat some tomato soup, knit, and take a nap. Hopefully I'll get this cold beaten down soon!

A Year in Outfits

2011-12-31T13:00:00.000-05:00

In 2011, I wore a lot of clothes. I bought a lot of things thrifted, I cleaned out my closet, and I started getting more comfortable with slouchy styles. I also got a new photographer: the Lumberjack, who has patiently taken pictures of me wearing socks in the heat, hats in the freezing cold, and dresses in the snow. As you may be able to tell, my pictures improved greatly.

I think the only overarching theme in all of these outfits is color. I've been tending more toward neutrals lately, but at the end of the day I will always pick fuchsia over black. That's the kind of girl I am.

First and foremost this is a knitting blog, and I've thought a bit about how the outfits fit in. I may have even waxed poetic about it before, but I think it bears repeating: I love knitting not only because I love the act of knitting and the community, but also because I love playing with color in new and different ways. The way I dress is both an influence on and a result of that color play. I think a lot of non-knitters tend to dismiss hand-knits as homely and unflattering, but I firmly believe that hand-knits can be stylish, beautiful, and fashion-forward. And that's why I post my projects and my outfits: because they are intimately linked, because I love the transformative power of textiles, and because clothes are pretty and yarn is pretty and I really like pretty things.

Thanks, everybody, for reading this year. Hope your New Year is full of color and love.

A Year in Knits

2011-12-31T12:22:00.001-05:00

In 2011, I knit:

12 shawls

4 pairs of socks

3 sweaters

2 hats

2 scarves (1 pictured)

23 projects

Looking back on this year, I've knit a lot more than I thought I did! I finished a lot of really old projects, spectacularly failed at my self-imposed Hat Challenge (let's chalk that up to being busy in school, okay? Okay!), knit 2 sweaters from start to finish, and made a metric crapton of lace. I shouldn't be surprised about that last one. Overall, I knit what I wanted, when I wanted, which I think is a great way to do it. Life is too short to knit things you hate.

I also published Blake, a (free!) super basic basketweave scarf. No points for originality, but I was really using it as a template for pattern writing. I still need to update a few things that are a little unclear, but I think I've hit upon a layout that I like. Which means that I have no excuse not to write up Salt Creek in the next month and start sending the pattern out to test knitters!

My knitting goals for 2012 are:

Knit 4 sweaters

Continue the hat challenge, but in a more achievable way: knit 6 hats

Design and publish 4 patterns

No buying yarn from Jan. 1st until my birthday, April 15th

Knit 5 pairs of socks

Knit 6 lace projects

None of these are hard and fast, but I'd really like to have more sweaters, and the stash situation is getting a touch ridiculous. I love all of my yarn, but that means I should use some of it up before moving on to newer, shinier things.

Here's to a productive 2012!

Outfit Post: Long Layers

2011-12-30T08:00:00.000-05:00

As long as you ignore the bright green socks, this is what I wore yesterday. Lately I've found myself in a different mood in terms of clothing. I definitely like little fitted sweaters and high-waisted pants, but I'm finding myself swinging in the opposite direction too: long, flowy, layered, more neutral/subdued in color, and sometimes no waist definition to speak of. I've been moving in that direction for a while, but it wasn't really until the winter that I found myself reaching for this style of clothing more and more.

The Dries van Noten tied skirt was one purchase where I wasn't completely sure how it would integrate into my wardrobe. I got it from a vintage boutique for $120, probably a small fraction of what it would have cost, and six months later, I'm more than sold. I wear this skirt all the time. It's easy and strange and I love how the ties float around down by my feet when I walk. It goes with everything and nothing simultaneously. Kind of like how it doesn't go with this tunic top (with pockets! and slits at the cuff to wear them as mini-handwarmers!) and yet it works. The proportions aren't right and the colors don't really work together and I loved wearing it all day.

Skirt: Dries van Noten, bought vintage

Cowl-neck Tunic: EcoSkin, bought from the awesome Radish Underground in Portland

FO: Super Green Kai-Mei Socks

2011-12-29T21:31:00.000-05:00

I brought three projects in progress to the beach with me, and returned with two finished projects and only one still on the needles. First up: Kai-mei!

Holy moly, these socks are green: punch-you-in-the-face green, cartoon-nuclear-waste green, Skittle green, edamame green. I have no idea what color I'll even be able to wear with this green.

But the pattern is great. It had the brainless 6.5-inch cuff, then the honeybee pattern was really fun to execute on the foot of the sock - very polished and neat and impressive-looking.

I also really enjoyed working with the yarn, Cherry Tree Hill Supersock in one of their semi-solid colorways. I bought it at a yarn shop in Ohio on a total whim because I loved the color, and then it sat in my stash for forever. Back in January I was on a starting (but not finishing) sock kick, and I wanted to try making Kai-mei... but didn't want to use either a variegated or a plain solid sock yarn. Then I remembered that I had this, which definitely has some tonal variation (so not solid!) but shaded within the same hue (so not variegated, yay!), and boom: pattern and yarn marriage made in heaven. This yarn is tightly twisted and very soft, but I think it may be in the process of being phased out, because it's difficult to find online. Sad, because it's a great sock yarn with awesome yardage.

Pattern: Kai-Mei, by Cookie A from Sock Innovation
Needles: Size 1.5 (2.5 mm) US metals DPNs, either Knitpicks or Hiya Hiya
Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Select Semi Solids, colorway Pesto, most of a 420 yard skein
Mods: None!

Christmas at the Ocean

2011-12-27T14:19:00.001-05:00

This Christmas, we got back to the things that are important:

spending time doing absolutely nothing

laughing at our hilariously entertaining dogs

and being together.

Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas, a Happy Chinese Food Day, and/or a Fabulous 25th of December.

UFO dumping: Kai-Mei

2011-12-22T08:00:00.000-05:00

So I'm really weird. Sometimes I can go for months - nay, years - without ever really taking a hard look at what projects have been in progress forever and are probably never going to get done. Sometimes it takes me two years to give up on a project, during which time it will just sit around shoved in a basket somewhere. I don't include these projects on Ravelry. They're my dirty little yarn secrets.

Recently, this has been changing. I am suddenly going crazy with the realization of how many I'm-never-going-to-finish-this-who-am-I-kidding projects I have. So I've been going through them, one by one, and taking a long hard look at what they are and why they don't work. I've already ripped out two socks in progress that were a) too small or b) too long in the leg, to the point that I was going to run out of yarn on the second. And I knew that there was no way I was going to use leftovers from another project to finish them off. Not gonna happen, and I shall explain why:

I know there's several sayings that endorse leaving imperfections or mistakes in handmade objects, that it makes them more meaningful and/or holy. And just as I laugh bitterly when non-knitters tell me how patient I am - since I am pretty much the opposite of patient; you should try driving with me and see! - I just can't get over mistakes in my knitting, period. I have zero problems with other people subscribing to this ethos; I will happily accept any item made with love and never ask whether or not it has any mistakes... but I am way too neurotic to adopt it myself.

For some things, like picking up 2 too many stitches on the pick-up-and-knit row, I have no problem shutting my brain off and doing a couple of k2togs on the next row. But visible mistakes, stupid things that I should have seen but didn't because I got too cocky about what an awesome-ass knitter I am and pfft who needs to read charts anyhow... those give me an aneurysm. They shall not stand.

That brings me to Kai-Mei. I wasn't sure whether it was one of those Do Not Pass Go projects or not. I started them in January, knit 6 inches of the leg, and promptly dropped them for something newer and shinier. Actually, there was some question about their size: I wasn't sure if they were charmingly not-too-snug in the leg, or if they would fall down to my ankles if I looked at them sideways. Add in the beginning of my senior semester and my epic laziness (but putting lace on the instep might be haaaaard, I thought), and they were unceremoniously crammed into my UFO basket.

So when I got to them this last week, I was sort of perplexed by the fact that I had almost half of a sock done; not only that, but it was the super boring part that I had already finished. I tried them on. They fit perfectly. So I knocked out the last half-inch of the leg and the foot of the sock in about two days.

The pattern: written beautifully. The honeybee lace pattern: divine. The yarn: tightly twisted and a dream to work with. The amount of embarrassment over how long it took to accept a perfectly nice and good sock instead of squirreling it away like an self-conscious teenager shoving an intarsia Santa sweater into the bottom of her sock drawer: ~~considerable, but well-disguised~~ ...hey, look how pretty it is!

FO Post: Cochineal Shawl

2011-12-21T08:00:00.000-05:00

I've been finishing a lot of stuff lately. Ripping out projects that aren't working; finishing socks on the needles since January of this year; blocking and weaving in ends and swatching and generally being a very responsible knitter. (We'll see how long it lasts.)

This is one of the many outcomes of that productivity. It's my third Swallowtail Shawl, and I am still obsessed with the perfection of the pattern. We recently received a shipment of Madelinetosh into the LYS where I work, so I volunteered to loan out this Swallowtail knit in Tosh Merino Light and my Ene's Scarf knit in Prairie as shop models. Before I did, I managed to have the Lumberjack snap a few pictures.

I was a little worried about yardage for this shawl, since my friend Ondrea had run out of yarn in her Swallowtail made of Tosh Merino Light. I managed to squeak by on one skein, although towards the end I was getting pretty anxious. I think it took about 400 yards of a 420-yard skein. I'm always torn on whether or not I want a lot of yarn left over when I'm done with a project. I hate being stressed out about whether I can finish something, but I also really love only having 3-5 yards left over.

Moving on: the yarn? Holy crap. I have to keep myself from buying every colorway of Tosh Merino Light that I see, because it is so luminous in color and such a pleasure to work with. This colorway is Tart, and I'll already admit that I have it in two other yarn bases. It is one of the prettiest reds I've ever seen, with undertones of black and overtones of the perfect cherry red.

This Swallowtail feels a little different than my other two, since the others are knit from Seasilk, which has a bit more heft and drape. This one is light and small, and fits around the neck very nicely.

Pattern: Swallowtail Shawl by Evelyn Clark (rav page)

Yarn: Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light, colorway Tart

Yardage: about 400 yards of a 420-yard skein

Needles: Size 5 US Addi Turbo Lace

Some news...

2011-12-20T08:00:00.000-05:00

The night after I graduated from college, it was windy and rainy, like the weather was letting out a sigh after days and days of sticky 90-degree weather. It was probably two in the morning. The Lumberjack and I were upstairs in the creaky old house that he was renting, talking about "What Now": that inevitable moment after you've finished something really big and important and all of a sudden you have all the time and options in the world and you have no idea what to do.

And then we talked about getting married, like we sometimes did. Only this time was different, because every time we talked about getting married before, we agreed that we should leave that sort of decision until after I graduated from Oberlin. And all of a sudden I had.

Then we sort of mutually decided to get married. I don't think either of us really asked, or if we did it was only to confirm that yes, we are engaged now.

And then we didn't tell anyone for a while. We gradually told our friends and family over the next few months. When we'd been engaged for four or five months, we finally went and found a ring, and then it was suddenly very official and public.

I've had mixed feelings about that.

On one hand, I love the crap out of Lumberjack. We've known each other since I was fifteen and he was sixteen. When we dated in high school, we talked about getting married sometimes. Even though we didn't talk for five years, some of the many things we talked about when we reconnected were our views on relationships, marriage and communication - so thankfully, none of these issues has ever been unfamiliar or off-limits to talk about. He has awesome taste in music and films. He likes to debate about politics and gender identity with me. There are times that we sit next to each other with our laptops open, both looking for indie-dyed yarn online and oohing and ahhing over a gorgeous shade of green. I never, ever find myself sitting across the table from him at a restaurant with nothing to say.

So I'm really, really okay with wearing a ring that we picked out together. I'm totally okay with talking about when and where to get married, and what color my wedding dress is going to be.

What I'm not quite as comfortable with is all of the crap that seems to come along with the news that we're getting married. The targeted facebook ads. The mere idea of a gift registry. (I still haven't figured out how I feel about that one.) The big to-do over the wedding day when a marriage is supposed to be about being married, not just the day it happens. The whole "all brides/mother-of-the-brides are insane, controlling, self-centered and all around unpleasant to deal with" phenomenon. I want to be a wife and partner, but I'm really not excited about the prospect of being a Bride. I want the party with people I love and I want the pictures to remember it, but I don't want all the baggage and expectations of the "perfect wedding". So far I've had some really great conversations with friends and found some good resources, A Practical Wedding being chief among them. But I know I still have a lot of hard work to do before I'll know what I want from my own wedding, not what I should want from the ideal wedding that I'm supposed to have.

So in summary, Lumberjack and I are getting married. We haven't decided yet where or when. And despite all of my misgivings about the wedding industry, I'm really excited about it.

And that's the story of the ring on my left hand.

Outfit Post: The Best Red Sweater

2011-12-19T08:00:00.000-05:00

So I think I've actually talked about this sweater a bunch of times already. I picked it up at a local thrift shop for about $15. It has single-handedly kicked off an obsession with red. I can't explain what's so amazing about it - it's cashmere, it's a great shade of red, and it's big and slouchy, but it's also more than that. It's the perfect comfortable-but-still-stylish sweater, the perfect figure-skimming shape. It looks great with everything, and it makes me look like I'm trying much harder than I actually am.

I've worn a version of this outfit three times now; once to the opera with my mom, once to work, and now yesterday to go to a cookie decorating party with a coworker of the Lumberjack's. The skirt is from New York & Company or something, and I got it from the Free Store in Oberlin. So it was free. At first I wasn't sure I liked it, but I've sure worn it a lot.

The boots are recently fixed and one of my favorite pairs of boots ever. Actually, they were my first pair of boots ever, and they were expensive, but I have worn the crap out of them. They were a little salt damaged from walking around Oberlin in the winter, so last week I finally caved in and took them in to a shoe repair place near one of my local yarn stores. I got them refinished and the rubber heel tips of another pair replaced for $35 - a small price to pay to make over $400 worth of shoe wearable again!

In fashion school news, I finished my last class of the quarter on Saturday and have about two weeks off before I start again. I'm excited to sew, knit, and sleep in a lot!

Lace overlay skirt: Free - New York & Company
Black buttoned boots: Amelia boots by Miz Mooz
Men's red cashmere sweater: Thrifted - Charter Club
Tights: Hue
Earrings (not visible): Tasi

FO Post: Flower Basket Shawl

2011-11-28T19:44:00.001-05:00

The endless parade of FO's continues! This Flower Basket shawlette only took me two weeks or so to knit, and I think it's a really good fit for the yarn. I had bought this Handmaiden Seasilk a bit on a whim, and there was a minute there where I wasn't sure how the variegation would work with lace.

And whether or not it was successful, I like it. It's mostly magenta and a very bright, citrusy orange, with a little bit of pistachio and paler orange in there too, and this pattern is just basic enough to let the colors shine while still being interesting enough to keep my attention.

I think it will be a good little scarflette to wear with a t-shirt and jeans.

I didn't really see it while I was knitting it, but the lace really does look like little flower baskets. As usual, Evelyn Clark's little lace shawl patterns are well-written and addictive as hell, with a super cute product.

Yet another one to add to the shawl drawer!

Pattern: Flower Basket Shawl by Evelyn Clark, distributed by Fiber Trends
Yarn: Handmaiden Seasilk, colorway Turkish Delight, about 400 yards from a 437-yard skein
Needles: Size 5 US Addi Turbo Lace
Modifications: None!

FO Post: Crown Prince

2011-11-23T18:21:00.001-05:00

So this post is a long, long time coming. I first cast on for Crown Prince from Knitted Lace of Estonia in early summer of 2010. My friend Ethan and I cast on at the same time. He finished probably... a year ago? At least? And due in part to moving to Japan, and in part to my own laziness, everything but the blocking of Crown Prince was finished by around this time last year. Then I moved to Oberlin, and I doubted the capacity of my blocking boards - they ended up being the perfect size, actually - and I stuffed my poor shawl into a bin for "later blocking". Meanwhile, I knit and blocked many less insane and beautiful lace projects, and Crown Prince started to wonder whether I had forgotten about him.

But no matter; all is right now. It took every last inch of those blocking boards, but last week I soaked, threaded blocking wires, and pinned this bad boy out. It was actually embarrassingly easy.

And holy crap, he is huuuuge. And square. I find square shawls pretty difficult to wear, which probably makes sense since our anatomy is not square and last time I checked knitted shawls are meant for people and not robots or puppies. I read somewhere that square shawls are traditional, and so is folding them in half to wear them as triangular shawls. It doubles up the fabric, which I like, and hey, triangular shawls are my favorite anyhow!

Looking back on it, this was probably one of the most enjoyable projects I've ever knit. Once I got used to nupping pretty much every row, it settled into a nice rhythm. The yarn I used, Jaggerspun Zephyr, was a dream to knit and nupp with, and I am beyond pleased with the end project. It's soft, slightly crispy, light, and warm. I would definitely use Zephyr again.

This is definitely how I'll be wearing this shawl. Also, I was looking through my Ravelry project this morning and realized that this is my seventh project of fourteen from Knitted Lace of Estonia. So I've knit half of the patterns without really meaning to... oops!

And just to give a sense of the "holy crap this thing is ENORMOUS" that I get every time I look at it, here it is in its full, square glory.

Pattern: Crown Prince Shawl from Knitted Lace of Estonia by Nancy Bush

Needles: Size 5 US Addi Turbo Lace

Yarn: Jaggerspun Zephyr Wool-Silk 2/18, 1.25 cones (probably 1700 yards?)

Modifications: None.

Whirlwind tour of Portland

2011-11-22T13:31:00.000-05:00

Sort of on a whim, Lumberjack and I decided to take a 2-day jaunt down to Portland. Portland was on the short list of cities that we considered moving to after I graduated from Oberlin. I went to Sock Summit with Lumberjack and my parents back in late July, but since I was in classes all day I only got to see a little bit of the city. This time, we've done a quick food, yarn, and fashion tour and are on our way home tonight.

I've really loved the food - so far we've eaten at a hole-in-the-wall Mexican place called Santería, a fabulous brunch restaurant called Bijou that reminded me a lot of Black River Cafe in Oberlin, and an izakaya called Shigezō, where we took these pictures. Above you can see the leftovers of our okonomiyaki appetizer, complete with the little metal serving spatulas. We also shared some chicken katsu curry. The super green drink was called Godzilla, and had Absolut Citron, Midori and Calpis in it. Eating in an izakaya made me really miss Japan... sigh.

I've picked up a couple of really good things while we've been down here. In an exceedingly strange turn of events, Lumberjack and I went into a vintage shop, where he bought a shirt, and I bought... nothing! Annnnd since I don't really buy books, and I've been holding out on picking up some knitting books that I've been lusting over, what better place to lose my willpower than at Powell's?

And holy crap, there's so many amazing yarn and sewing shops here... I have my eye on some Liberty of London cotton lawn and maybe another Colette pattern, and probably some Brooklyntweed Loft (hooray!). Today we're hitting up Knit Purl (again - yesterday I was so overwhelmed that I couldn't choose what yarn to buy!) and Dublin Bay Knitting Company, where I have very strategic plans about what I might get. I sort of wanted to get a sweater's worth of Shelter in the gorgeous red called Long Johns, but all the stores pretty much everywhere are sold out.

Now we're off to eat breakfast... I know it's a total cliche, but I think I love Portland and want to move here...

Outfit Post: Sanjo Dress

2011-11-21T08:00:00.000-05:00

On Saturday the Lumberjack, his parents, and I went to visit some of their family and then stop by a yarn and fabric shop called Shibori Dragon. The shop carried all sorts of Japanese and Japanese-inspired needle arts materials, from Showa-era kasuri fabrics to sashiko kits to quilting fabrics. I bought a pattern, fabric and thread for some sashiko coasters and a pillow, which I'm super excited about trying out!

The temperature has recently dipped into the thirties in the Seattle area, so I reached for one of my favorite outfits from Japan: this floral printed dress I bought in Kyoto and vintage yellow wool cardigan I picked up at a Salvation Army for a dollar. When I first bought this dress, I was a little worried that I wouldn't be able to style it to its full potential - I love the printed fabric, the tiny cream braids between the floral and solid, and the delicate herringbone of the collar and border fabric, but I wasn't sure that the straight shape would be flattering with my full bust. All that aside, though, this is one of those dresses for which I hold a passionate (and somewhat irrational) love, mostly because it reminds me so much of my time in Japan.

And, throughout wearing it and playing around with belts and proportions, I've found that a skinny belt at my natural waist helps pull it in nicely, and the gathers are small enough that they look intentional. I wasn't sure how well this little bow belt would do its job, but I love it.

And I swear, all my Tasi earrings go with everything.

Dress: Sanjo by Pagong

Yellow Halle Brothers Cardigan: Thrifted

Tights: Hue

Boots: J Shoes

Red Bow Belt: Sale at Nordstrom

Earrings: Tasi

Weekly Reading

2011-11-18T08:00:00.000-05:00

Reading. Totally not napping. What are you talking about.

Sarai of Colette patterns wrote about her experience at Quilt Market and brought up some very good points about the perceived differences between quilting and garment sewing in the needle arts industry.

Megan Nielsen of Megan Nielsen Patterns shared some really helpful information about starting a business online.

This kind of outfit from Sea of Ghosts (and Sea of Ghosts in general - her blog is a new favorite) has been majorly influencing my clothing choices lately: lots of rings, lots of grey, slouchy shirts and a little bit of edge.

Andi finished a gorgeous Audrey in Unst, and noted something that I have to try really hard to remember too: it's almost never a good idea to knit something because you feel like you need to.

Patty the Snug Bug, another recent blog find, did a series this month on fixing languishing projects. Her fixed-up magenta Colette Beignet skirt, and the resulting color pairings, are spectacular.

Susan Crawford's new book, A Stitch in Time Volume 2, has just come out in the UK, and she posted this video of some the new designs on her blog. So. Excited.

Kate Davies wrote an in-depth review of her Deco cardigan after a year of wearing. Just another reason why wool is amazing.

I'm a little late in the season to repost it, but Jules' deer hat with little antlers is so freaking adorable I couldn't resist.

Happy weekend!

Awesome image copyright Susan Crawford.

Hat Challenge FO #1: Buffalo Gal Eyelet Hat

2011-11-17T08:00:00.003-05:00

Yet another finished object, hooray! I finished the first Hat Challenge hat three or four weeks ago, washed it a couple days ago and wove in the ends on Monday. As soon as the ends were woven in, I put it on and didn't take it off for hours.

Because it is so, so cozy.

The yarn really bloomed with washing, which gave it a lovely halo and softness. I can't even tell that the yarn was thick-and-thin anymore. I love the color, and I love (love love love) the finished object - it has the perfect amount of slouch. I think this hat will get a ton of wear.

Pattern: #09 Eyelet Cap by Cathy Carron, from Vogue Knitting Fall 2009
Yarn: Buffalo Gals Homage to the New World
Yardage: Almost all of a 360-yard skein
Needles: Size 3 (3.25 mm) US Addi Turbos
Modifications: I knit the ribbing a little shorter. The pattern calls for an 8" brim, and I only knit for 6" because I was running out of yarn. In the end, I think the brim is exactly the right length as is, and if I were to knit it again I would make the same change.

Stash Color Story: Reds

2011-11-16T08:00:00.000-05:00

Lately I've found myself shunning my usual pinks and purples for greys and reds. Perhaps because of the gigantic, fire-engine red men's cashmere pullover I found a few weeks ago at a vintage shop for 15 bucks, or the turning of the leaves; who knows. But the reds in my laceweight stash have been growing, little by little, and I've been looking to them more and more for inspiration. I love how evocative the color names are, and perfectly suited to each nuanced color.

Pomegranate - Schaefer Audrey
Wool/silk blend

Ruby - Sunnyside Ellen Fine Silk
100% silk

Really Red - Jade Sapphire Silk Cashmere 4-Ply
Silk/cashmere blend

Maple - Handmaiden Marrakesh
Camel/silk blend

Byzantine - Madelinetosh Prairie
100% superwash merino

Ruby - Louet Mooi (discontinued)
Bison/cashmere/bamboo blend

I've been trying to knit down my works in progress, but I think when I finish one or two more projects, I might cast on for something with one of these reds.

November Favorites: Shawls, Scarves and Wraps

2011-11-15T08:00:00.000-05:00

Lately I've been looking through a lot of patterns, trying to pair each yarn in my stash with the perfect pattern. These are some of my favorites. Some are old, some are new; some are by established favorite designers, and others are by up-and-comers.

Anthemion Wrap by Miriam Felton

I didn't notice this one when it first came out in Knitty, but one night I was on a Miriam Felton kick on Ravelry and came across this gem. I love how her designs are so architectural, and how beautiful and weightless they look in laceweight silk. I have quite a bit of laceweight silk in my stash, so I think I might attempt this pattern with this Claudia Hand Painted Silk.

Sakura by Leila Raabe

This one is from Brooklyntweed's new Loft collection. I've really been loving my triangular shawls as of late - I wear them as scarves because they have concentrated warmth right at the neck where I need it and the ends hang out of the way. Plus they're a great way to add color to an outfit! So whenever I see pretty triangular shawl patterns, I'm automatically drawn to them.

I like that this shawl is textured, and just a touch lacy. Plus, it's made out of Loft - I haven't seen it in person yet, but I love the colors and subtle tweediness. I might be able to dig into my stash for this, but I almost want to hold out and make it in Loft in either Postcard (a soft grey-purple) or Camper (pink!).

Lady of the Blue Forest by Ashley Knowlton

Okay, so I might be attracted to patterns in part because of the colors they're knit in. I deeply love this shade of cobalt blue, and I like how the different elements of the pattern grow out of one another. I also have a tendency to adore designs that have a motif at the back neck - although it's not always visible, I love knowing it's there. Just like Calvin and his lucky rocket-ship underpants.

If I were to make the small shawlette version, I'd consider using this skein of Handmaiden Camelspin, one of the suggested yarns for the pattern. I'm also tossing around the idea of knitting an Annis in it, so we'll see how that shakes out.

Lucky Clover by Helen Stewart

I like the simplicity of this one - seems great for showing off a softly variegated yarn. Just enough detail at the bottom and up the spine to keep it interesting. Plus garter stitch looks smashing with a little bit of color variation.

This Pigeonroof Studios sock yarn I got in New Haven might be just the ticket.

Berkanan Shawl by Anne-lise Maigaard

I think I saw test-knit pictures of this shawl in a Ravelry group, and it is gorgeous. The leaves down the spine, the organic growth from the lace at the center to the leaf border, and nupps - oh, nupps! - on the edging. Love.

I think Madelinetosh Prairie would be an excellent yarn for this project, as would Jaggerspun Zephyr. For my purposes, I think this Prairie in the colorway Byzantine would be gorgeous.

Daphnaie by Tori Gurbisz

Another shawl with a spine detail, which I adore.

It calls for Malabrigo Sock, and I have a skein of Ochre that I think would be perfect.

In the Garden by Ilga Leja

Even though this is a capelet, which I don't usually wear, I think it could work really well as a layer over a t-shirt and jeans. I think I'd want to do it in a soft grey color. Maybe this alpaca/bamboo fingering weight by Classic Elite called Vail?

Eiki (Strength) Shawl by Janel Laidman

As with many patterns I end up obsessed with, I passed this one over when I first saw it. But the delicate border and the red color stuck in my mind once I saw a couple of stunning versions on Ravelry.

I think it would be a good pattern for this skein of Sanguine Gryphon Skinny Bugga that I picked up at Sock Summit. It's a deep, gorgeous shade of red.

Farthing by Jared Flood

The contrasting edging on this really drew me. It feels a little bit vintage, and would be a fun way to play with color. I sort of like the idea of doing this in a laceweight silk and a contrasting edging of mohair/silk, probably because I'm thinking of this scarf featured in an Interweave Knits, from Feminine Knits by Lene Holme Samsoe. I love the idea of combining two different textures to create a soft, lacy and feminine scarf.

All pattern and project photographs are copyright of their respective owners. Yarn photographs belong to me.

FO: Ene's Scarf

2011-11-14T08:00:00.000-05:00

My blocking queue had gotten a little long again, so I've been trying to block at night while I'm thinking about it. It's started getting dark around 4 pm since Daylight Saving's Time, so I've had to plan my time according to the light a bit more. So, last week I finally blocked Ene's Scarf, a project I finished probably a month ago. Above is how I'll probably wear the shawl, but for the sake of showing it off, here it is from some other angles.

This is the shawl unblocked. It measured about 22 inches at the spine, and was very crumply.

After blocking? Pure magic. The spine now measures 32 inches, which means it grew just about 10".

I really, really enjoyed working with this yarn, Madelinetosh Prairie. Tosh Merino Light is the popular Tosh yarn on Ravelry right now - so popular, in fact, that LYSs are having a hard time getting and keeping it on the shelves! - but as a lace nerd, I totally covet Prairie. It's a finer version of TML, relatively tightly spun for a single, seems to be pill-resistant so far, and has the most beautiful shine at its core, almost as if it contained silk.

The best part, though, as with all of the Madelinetosh yarns, is its deep, awe-inspiring color. This particular colorway is called Curiosity, and it is a shapeshifter - lavender in some lights, blue with violet undertones in others. The subtle variegation of the yarn doesn't distract from the lace pattern one bit, but lends that depth of color that I just love.

The fabric it creates is light as a feather, too. I'll have to style this shawl a little differently than my heavier ones, perhaps as a light layer over sweaters rather than a standalone scarf. Seattle has gotten chilly as well as dark lately, and I haven't yet tested how well this shawl keeps the cold out.

All in all, a very satisfying and quick knit that I can't stop looking at because it is so dang pretty.

Pattern: Ene's Scarf, from Scarf Style collection. Pattern by Nancy Bush.
Yarn: Madelinetosh Prairie, colorway Curiosity
Yardage: About 800 yards of a 840-yard skein
Needles: Size 6 US Addi Turbo Lace
Modifications: I did a cable cast-on and two rows of garter stitch as set-up rows before the first chart. Miralda employs this garter set-up, and I love the way it looks as an edging to set off the lace. Otherwise, I knit the pattern exactly as written. As usual, Nancy Bush writes beautiful and easy-to-read patterns.

Outfit Post: Grey and Yellow and a Dinosaur

2011-11-10T18:44:00.001-05:00

Well hello again! It's been a moment. Lately my closet has been feeling a little tired and the days have suddenly gotten shorter, and that has coupled with a sort of strange malaise that's made me feel allergic to any activity that doesn't involve watching 30 Rock, knitting and eating grilled cheese sandwiches... which has left me feeling under-inspired and cranky.

Finally last weekend I repaired some thrifted clothes that had been sitting in the pile for a long time, along with some of Lumberjack's shirts and coats that had lost buttons and needed fixing, and that has helped to kick my closet mojo back up. This skirt didn't need fixing, but after joyfully finding it for $16 at a vintage store in Ballard a few weeks ago, I brought it home, took it out of the bag and felt underwhelmed. Was it too tween? Too suede-skirty? Too dirty-looking? Wrong color? Have I lost all sense of direction, sartorially?

And so it sat, mocking me.

Then, last night as I was about to go to bed, I threw off my charcoal cardigan and it landed on top of the skirt. And to my surprise, it didn't look ugly anymore. It looked full of promise.

So today I decided to do my take on the whole grey/yellow phenomenon. Maybe I'm a little late to the party, but at least I came, and wearing a kickass dinosaur shirt at that. And with any luck, it's a sign of more exciting outfits to come.

Skirt: Thrifted, vintage Brass Plum by Nordstrom
Charcoal sweater: J Crew
Grey sweater tights: Hue
Shirt: Super old printed tee from my closet
Amber earrings: Ruth, from shop in Oberlin
Shoes: Fluevog Operetta Viardot

WIP: Flower Basket Shawlette

2011-10-20T08:00:00.000-04:00

This project was in and out of my stash, on and off the needles so fast that it barely registered in my knitterly consciousness. It was a pleasant week of knitting off-and-on, with no nail-biting on the yarn requirements or the pattern or anything. I mentioned in this post that I would probably do an Evelyn Clark pattern with my skein of Handmaiden Seasilk in the tantalizingly weird colorway Turkish Delight. I don't particularly like the candy, but I do like orange and pink and mint green, especially together. Yum.

Also on a color note: whenever I work with my Friday coworker at my LYS, we have conversations that go like this:

Her: That color is pretty bright. I'm not sure if I like it...
Me: I LOVE IT.
Her: Of course you do.

And then we laugh.

What can I say, I have the color sense of a six-year-old.

Because I am occasionally a creature of my word, I used Evelyn Clark's Flower Basket Shawl as my pattern. The smallest size called for about 425 yards, and I had 437, so I figured I could make it about the same or even a touch bigger. Since I've already knit Swallowtail twice, with the same yardage and needle size, and ended up with enough yarn, I figured I could add repeats safely until I hit the same number of stitches before the border. I did 9 repeats instead of the called-for 8, and ended up with a little bit of extra yarn. Otherwise I knit the pattern exactly as written.

The finished size before blocking is 14" deep. My last Swallowtail was about the same, and blocked out to a nice scarf size of about 23" deep. I like how the colors pooled, and I think it played nicely with the pattern. It's often hard to predict how a handpainted yarn will work up, but I've been really happy with the way my projects knit with Handmaiden have turned out.

Hopefully early next week I'll have an FO post... stay tuned!

Hat Challenge WIP #1: Eyelet Cap

2011-10-19T08:00:00.001-04:00

First up: # 09 Eyelet Cap by Cathy Carron. I swatched for this hat a good month ago, and finally cast on last week. It's cast-on from the top, and at first I was trying to be all tricksy and use a provisional cast-on so I could zip up the first 12 stitches later, but when it proved to be messy and ugly, I ripped out my first attempt and cast on the way the pattern recommended. And guess what? It looks fine. The hat is full of eyelets, so the slightly bigger eyelet in the middle looks right at home.

I've been bad. This is my walking-around knitting right now, and I've been so preoccupied with just getting it done that I haven't tried it on yet. I like the color, though, and the yarn is lovely to work with. It sucks light big-time, I think because it's a brown yarn that's been overdyed dark red. It's also a little bit thick-and-thin and has a light halo that's more toned-down than mohair and more intense than cashmere.

My one complaint for this project? The needles I'm using are too damn blunt. The eyelet rows were freakin' painful. Sometimes I think about buying a whole mess of 16" Addi Turbo Lace needles just to make hats. Skacel makes them, but not all stores stock them. Although I've been using my old Addi Turbos with the regular tips for the hats I've been making lately, some of them have a lot of stitch manipulation that would be loads easier with a lace tip.

I've also been doing some hatstorming (hahah, see what I did there?) about my next Hat Challenge project. Methinks it will involve Tosh Merino Light... hm-hmmm....

Many WIPs.

2011-10-18T20:39:00.000-04:00

Contrary to what my blog-posting schedule might indicate, there's been a lot of knitting going on here.

Life has been pretty busy too. I got a new computer after dragging my feet on the subject for many months. My new laptop is an 11-inch MacBook Air, and so far I'm finding it ridiculously portable, speedy, and way, way, way easier to use than my old MacBook. Hooray.

These pictures are sneak peeks. More posts to come. Hope everyone has been well!

FO: Toya Pakeh Scarf

2011-10-10T08:00:00.003-04:00

I went on a little bit of a finishing spree last week. This tends to happen a lot when I have a bunch of projects cast on: they all seem to drag on forever, until finally I hit a week or so when I finish a project every few days, and my blocking board gets a serious workout. I finally cast off this scarf in the middle of last week, soaked and blocked it in my newly cleaned studio.

This scarf is an exercise in subtlety and comfort. I learned to knit on a simple basketweave scarf like this when I was 17. I've found that they're a great present for non-knitters, because they are cozy, look great in a variety of yarns, and wearable. Because of this, I've knit about a billion of them for other people, but this scarf is the first I've ever knit for myself.

I've always found that when my creative life gets bogged down with complicated patterns, deadlines, and groan-inducing finishing, it's nice to step back and make something simple. A wooly palate cleanser.

This handspun that I bought in Oberlin had been in deep, deep stash for three or so years, and I'm really happy with how it knit up. I had three different balls of it, so I was worried that I'd have to alternate every two rows. Instead, I used the three balls in order of their relative color composition, and it worked out that there's just enough color change to make subtle stripes. I have no idea where I joined all of them in.

The weather in Seattle has just turned cold, so this scarf is just in time for chilly days. I have a grey trench coat that I've been wearing, and I've been loving the mint green/dark grey combination lately. I have a feeling that this scarf will get quite a workout in the next few months.

Pattern: My own

Needles: Size 9 Addi Turbos

Yarn: Handspun from Ginko Gallery, Oberlin, Ohio

FO Post: The Stella Blouse

2011-10-03T17:22:00.002-04:00

Finally! I started this blouse over two months ago, expecting it to go pretty fast. I had obviously never worked with Kidsilk Haze before, because "oh, a sweater out of laceweight mohair in a month, yeah, totally!" is a rather large and dumb assumption on my part.

The pattern is called, quite accurately, the Lace Blouse by Erika Knight, out of her book Glamour Knits. It's not shown on a body in the book, which is the only thing I'd love to see changed about the pattern. I loved the little romantic details in this blouse: the little keyhole at the back neck, the little ruffle down the front, the lacy-but-fluffy effect of the mohair. It screamed to be knit in pink.

I called it the Stella Blouse after my favorite vintage shop in Issaquah, Washington, which always has a fabulous selection of kicky little sweaters and gorgeous skirts and dresses. Please note that the skirt I'm wearing in these pictures was purchased at Stella for about $50 and has been worn many, many times.

I knit this version as a shop sample for Cultured Purls, the LYS where I currently work. I tried to keep my modifications down so that customers who want to make it don't have to wade through a bunch of notes! I still made a few, but hopefully they are minor enough that one can make his or her own call on whether or not to replicate them.

My little tweaks:

1. I added one stitch to each edge of the cast-on on the front and back so that the charts had an extra stockinette stitch on each side to help with seaming. When I hit the armholes, I cast off one more stitch than recommended on each side to get back to the right number, then continued exactly as written.

2. I knit the body to 14.5" instead of 13.5". I am large-busted and knit the 36" size to have about 2 inches of negative ease, which pulls the fabric horizontally and reduces the length, so the extra length is to compensate. I really wanted to go for that whole 50's sweatergirl aesthetic, so I wanted my version to be pretty fitted.

3. I omitted the knitted-on picots along the neckline and bottom, and replaced them with a crocheted picot. I can't crochet my way out of a paper bag, so this was super simple: pick up one stitch to start, chain 3, connect to hemline with single crochet once every 3-4 stitches of the hemline horizontally, or every 5 stitches vertically (to your taste), continue around. This created small, soft picots that are barely noticeable in the finished garment, but give it a bit of polish.

4. I also omitted the recommended organza ruffle on top of the knitted ruffle. I couldn't find a color of ribbon or silk that matched or complemented the color to my liking, so I left it off.

Other notes:

I seamed it up with a strand of wooly nylon. The idea of seaming with Kidsilk Haze gave me hives just thinking about it, and wooly nylon was easy to match colors, had a bit of stretch to prevent constricting seams, and was a breeze to take out if I wanted to make adjustments.

A word to any prospective mohair-lace-knitters out there: always tink one stitch at a time, never take it off the needles and frog this stuff. It snarls and breaks the moment you look at it sideways. It takes a little longer, but the headaches it prevents will be totally worth it. (Ask me how I know. Hahahah.)

Annnnd lastly, when you're knitting the cute little ruffle down the front, be sure to mark the right side of your work. The short-rows can get you a little turned around, especially if you look up for a minute, but marking with a split-ring marker or somesuch helps keep you oriented.

Overall, this was a fun little project that kept my attention fairly well. I was a little worried there for a minute about the wearability of it, but throwing a camisole or slip under it and cinching with a belt does wonders!

Pattern: Lace Top by Erika Knight, from the book Glamour Knits

Needles: Size 2.5 (3.0 mm) US for cast-on, size 3 (3.25 mm) US Addi Turbo Lace 24" circulars for body and sleeves, size 2.5 bamboo DPN's for ruffle

Yarn: Rowan Kidsilk Haze, color Blushes (583)

Yardage: 3.5 balls, or about 800 yards

Stash Appreciation: Handmaiden Seasilk

2011-09-27T08:00:00.002-04:00

I think this is a relatively new colorway of Handmaiden Seasilk - it's called Turkish Delight, and something about the combination of bright grapefruit pink, orange, and minty green really drew me. I always love bright colors, but these colors are a little different, a citrusy departure from my usual saturated magentas, greens and purples.

I think it's going to become another simple small shawl - I'm thinking either Shetland Triangle or the Flower Basket shawl, both Evelyn Clark patterns with relatively simple repeats that would show off the colors really well. I might have to cast on for it soon; I'm really excited to see how it knits up!

Today's Fashion School Blows My Mind moment: today I learned how to draw different types of bows, pleats, and ruffles. It's really cool to go from recognizing particular styles to being able to draw those styles in an accurate way. Next week I get to come up with my own original dress to draw in class!

WIP: Ene's Scarf

2011-09-26T08:00:00.009-04:00

Because I am a crazy person, I started yet another lace project. I got a skein of Madelinetosh Prairie a couple of months ago while out with my mom, and wasn't sure what to do with it. Then I remembered Ene's Scarf, one of the many stellar patterns from Interweave's Scarf Style. I've had the book forever - I originally bought it because I fell in love with the many Lady Eleanor stoles that were floating around the blogosphere. I did make one scarf from the book, but then put it away, which is a shame because it is a veritable treasure trove of great patterns.

Ene is constructed much like Miralda: a long (long long) cast-on that decreases by 4 stitches each row until you graft or three-needle bind off the last 20-odd stitches. One change I've already made is to add two rows of garter stitch right after the cast-on. I knew I had about 100 extra yards than recommended, so I'm not worried about running out by adding more rows. Miralda has this little garter border before the main edging pattern, and I like the contained polish it gives. I was also wary of jumping right into the edging as recommended in the pattern, for fear of curling.

So far, the Prairie is one of my favorite true laceweights ever. It's more substantial in the hand than Artyarns Cashmere 1, softer than Tosh Lace (a plied laceweight), and more pleasant for my alpaca-sensitive fingers than Silky Alpaca Lace. The only other laceweight for which I have felt such affection is Jaggerspun Zephyr, which has a lovely (and addictive) fluffy-yet-shiny feel and look. The Prairie has a little bit of sheen, great depth of color, and a weightlessness of the fabric despite being heavy enough to work with easily.

Seriously... at this point I'm totally fighting the urge to buy All The Tosh.

Hat Challenge Post 2: Swatch Time!

2011-09-23T08:00:00.004-04:00

Hahah! You thought I'd forgotten, eh? Well, okay... maybe I did a little bit. But not entirely! You see, I knit a swatch.

And then left it on the armrest of the couch for a week and a half.

But the overall point is that I blocked it. And it turned from a perfectly decent little piece of ribbed fabric to perhaps the most beautiful, light, fluffy slip of deliciousness I've ever made.

There is nothing quite like the look of freshly blocked ribbing: coaxed into soft vertical lines, expansive and forgiving like the best of old friends.

And now I'm really excited to cast on.

... at least, if I got gauge.

Stash Appreciation: Tosh Merino Light in Tart

2011-09-22T18:20:00.000-04:00

I've been on a total Madelinetosh kick lately. She is such a genius with colors, especially the very saturated and the very subtle. This skein of Tosh Merino Light is in the colorway Tart, a deep red with undertones of black. Stunning. I haven't decided yet what this will be, but I have a feeling it will end up as a shawlette or cowl. Something close to the face, to show off that gorgeous color.

And my Fashion School Blows My Mind moment of the day: today I learned how to place darts in a bodice using pencil, paper and a gluestick. Woah.

Outfit Post: Neutrals... and Fashion School!

2011-09-20T20:42:00.000-04:00

But first, some news: today was my second day of class at New York Fashion Academy, where I'll be working on an 18-month program in fashion design. Exciting! So far I've had Fashion Illustration and Draping classes, both of which have been awesome. The school, while called New York Fashion Academy, is located in Ballard, a neighborhood of Seattle.

Because I had class today (and also had to drive for 40 minutes and execute a truly exciting parking job), I wanted to wear something comfortable. I got this little grey dress a few weeks ago and have already worn it three times - it's super slouchy and comfortable, but it's just designed enough that it looks like I thought about it. Hah!

I wanted to play with neutrals today for some reason - maybe it's that the weather has turned a little chilly, or maybe it's that I've been wearing so many bright colors that neutrals seem a good palate cleanser. In any case, I loved the combination more than I thought I would.

The cardigan is another recent purchase, a cashmere Cynthia Rowley sweater snapped up at a Marshall's for half the original price. It's so cuddly that Lumberjack has taken to petting my shoulders at random. It's also a really great shade of beige - a little bit heathered and a touch of a peach/pink undertone.

I've also been doing a little bit of experimenting with my hair. I was intrigued by the new Garnier silicone-free shampoo, since I've heard that the various silicone compounds in regular shampoo can be bad for long hair by hiding damage and building up in the hair. I've been using both the silicone-free shampoo and conditioner for three or four weeks now, and my hair definitely looks different! It's been taking on a wavier texture, which is fun for playing with. I think it's still too soon to tell how I like it in the long run, since it seems to take a while for my hair to adjust to new things, but so far it's been positive.

The earrings are from (because I'm predictable) Tasi. I love that they used pieces of wood shaped like feathers, and although you can't see it here, they're asymmetrical. It added a little bit of edge to a soft outfit.

Hope everyone's having a great week!

Grey pocket dress: Mystree
Cashmere long cardigan: Cynthia Rowley, via Marshall's
Coral flats: John Fluevog Danielles
Earrings: Tasi

FO Post: Rhubarb Pie Socks

2011-09-14T08:00:00.000-04:00

I cast on for the Monkey socks... because I cast off the simple socks out of ToshSock! The sock pattern I used was absurdly simple, just a plain stockinette sock with a deep heel (for my big feet) and ribbing at the top to keep things up.

So the colors are boinky, but I sort of love them. I've been needing more socks for quite a while now and these will be a good supplement to my sock drawer.

Pattern: None! 64-stitch basic sock. Rav link here.

Yarn: Madelinetosh Tosh Sock in colorway Rhubarb

Yardage: ~350 yards of a 395-yard skein

Needles: 2.5 mm Signatures

WIP Post: Monkey Socks

2011-09-13T15:11:00.000-04:00

I've caught the fever.

And the fever is twofold:

First, I cannot stop knitting with my 2.5 mm Signatures. What once may have been a "preference" or an "affinity" has become a full-blown obsession. They make a little shick sound when you slide the stitches down them. The points are divinely pointy (if a little scary). Picking up stitches on the heelflap is a breeze. I can't stop.

And the second? Well, after five years of sock knitting, I've finally jumped on the Monkey boat. I tried casting on right before Sock Summit with my 2.25 mm Knitpicks needles, but the 64-stitch version ended up too small. I cast on again a few days ago, and the same 64 stitches on 2.5 mms makes gentle stripes and fits. Although, holy moly, how about that unstretchy stitch pattern? I must have high arches, because even though the leg fits perfectly, it's hard to get it over my heel. But don't despair, Monkey - I still love you!

The lack of stretch is completely made up for by the way the stitch pattern plays so nicely with the yarn. The yarn is a Fiesta color of the month in the August colorway, Gladiolus. My first pair of socks was knit from a Lorna's Laces colorway that echoes this one pretty strongly - although those socks have long since passed on to the Great Hiking Boot in the Sky, the idea of having another pair of socks in those perfectly springy colors is pretty exciting.

Outfit Post: Rust Knit Dress

2011-09-12T08:00:00.001-04:00

For some reason, I really like dressing up on my days off. Maybe it's because I have so many great pairs of shoes that don't get much wear, or maybe I'm just wearing all the outfits I think of during the week but can't quite pull off wearing at work.

I just got this dress a few weeks ago and hadn't had a chance to wear it yet. I love the color and the cut of it - the color seems very 70s to me, and the shape is very wearable and flattering (although I will likely wear a camisole under it most of the time, since it takes a bit of fashion tape to keep the neckline in check). I've had an intense fondness for knit dresses lately, probably because they are so ridiculously easy to wear.

The shoes are from Heavy Machine, and I love them intensely. They remind me of rocket ships. They're pretty hard to drive in, and not the best for walking long distances, but I think they make almost every outfit a little bit cooler. I don't wear them super often, but they brighten my day whenever I do.

I don't usually mess with my makeup much - most days it's Bare Minerals foundation powder and blush, but today I wanted a little bit of color to accent the orange-brown of the dress. I used a turquoise eyeshadow from Make Up Forever and an angled brush so that the shadow looked more like eyeliner - the color is really intense, and I didn't want to overdo it.

The hair is an updo I made up when I was fourteen or fifteen and had shorter hair, but have found very useful in the years since. I separate my hair into two sections, French braid them, and then secure them in a low ponytail with an elastic. Then I comb the two sections together, braid them into a single braid, and fasten. When my hair was shorter, I tucked the tail in between the two sections at the base of my skull, but now that it's super long I had to curl it around and secure it.

It stays put all day. My favorite.

Dress: Viereck
Necklace: gift, from my grandmother
Shoes: Heavy Machine Schizophrenic Crossover

Outfit Post: Office... Chic?

2011-09-09T01:15:00.000-04:00

Okay, so I haven't been trying very hard on the outfit front lately. I roll out of bed and look at my closet, and then I feel very tired and want to go back to bed. This is compounded by the fact that, because my skin is on hallucinogenic drugs from approximately March until October of every year and is currently having a particularly adorable tantrum, I have to wear long sleeves.

Needless to say, I am greatly unamused by this.

Yesterday I felt like sort of trying, even with the "work-appropriate" and "long sleeves to contain troll elbow" stipulations, and ended up with this. I adore this skirt, which is polyester (usually yuck; sometimes spectacular) but has the greatest 70s-tastic print ever. Look at those neon tulips. Who could not love, or at least be somewhat entertained by, neon tulips in autumnal colors? Speaking of things being on hallucinogenic drugs: this fabric's designer was, probably.

Last but not least, a relatively recent addition to my Fluevog collection! When a bunch of styles went on sale last month, my mom kindly offered to buy me a few pairs to supplement my work-appropriate shoe collection. (Apparently combat boots are not work-appropriate. Pooh, I say.)

Anyhow, about a month after receiving my Danielles and wearing them quite a bit, I'm insanely happy with them. I love the coral color, which adds a little bit of interest to even the most boring of outfits, and they're comfy enough to walk the two miles from the bus stop to work and back in the morning. I usually wear a 9.5 or 10 in Fluevogs, but I tried on a pair of these at the store a few months ago and knew to order way, way down. I haven't been a size 9 since I was probably fourteen, but somehow these are. I thought they might be a bit too tight when I first got them, but a few weeks of breaking them in has made them the perfect length and width. Another great pair of 'Vogs.

Striped button-up shirt: Thrifted

Polyester neon tulip skirt: Ratsy's in Oberlin

Coral flats: Fluevog Integrity Danielle

Kimono earrings: Shop in Kyoto

WIP: Socks Go On An Adventure!

2011-09-07T22:18:00.000-04:00

So although I haven't been blogging much lately, there has been a large amount of knitting happening. Not only that, it's sock knitting! I had a skein of Madtosh sock in the colorway Rhubarb that was sitting around for, oh, you know, like two years. And that's not even deep stash. Geez. Anyhow, I decided to cast on for a pair of 64-stitch stockinette socks, the same way I did with the Home Socks.

And today, Finished Sock and Second Sock went on an adventure! (My other WIP socks seriously hate Finished Sock for having a Second Sock already. They wonder why she is more special than they are.) They came with me to the bus stop on my way to work (above).

And why yes, I am knitting them on my fabulous Signature 2.5 mm DPNs, a graduation gift from my friend Sparkle. They are sort of the best needles ever.

Then Finished Sock got tired of laggy old Second Sock, and went for an adventure on her own.

(This one's for you guys, Ethan and Ondrea.)

And finally, she was tired, and took a nap on my feet. Good thing she likes them, because they're going to be spending a lot of quality time together, very soon.

Saturday Brunch

2011-09-07T01:24:00.001-04:00

These pictures are from a few Saturdays ago, when Lumberjack and I decided to venture out into the city for some lunch, which ended up being brunch at a restaurant in Bellevue called Z'Tejas. Lumberjack had Chicken and Potato Hash (with a fried egg on top!) and I had a breakfast quesadilla with bacon and tomatillo sauce, both of which were extremely delicious.

I recently developed an allergy to avocados (which is perhaps the saddest allergy ever) and I have to be pretty careful at Mexican-style restaurants, because avocado is on everything! I didn't have any trouble the day we went for brunch, but we ended up going back later that week, and I had to send back a sandwich because it had avocado that wasn't listed on the menu. I usually check when I order, but didn't this time - that'll teach me!

We also shared a frozen margarita that had layers of blue Curaçao, melon, and black raspberry syrups - it was almost too pretty to drink. (Almost.)

These last couple of weeks have been crazy - I finished my grant from Oberlin last Wednesday, then had a crazy weekend out with Lumberjack and my brother, then went to see Lumberjack's grandmother on Monday. Is it bad that I'm already ready for the weekend again?

FO Post: Salt Creek Hat

2011-08-31T01:04:00.001-04:00

Introducing Salt Creek! A lightly cabled, just-barely slouchy men's hat that's perfect for the coffee-drinking, flannel-wearing guy in your life. This is my first time writing a pattern, so it may take another month or so before I get a presentable draft ready for publishing, but I'm pretty excited with how it turned out. I may be putting out a call for test knitters soon as well - stay tuned!

Remember how I had that whole song-and-dance about never knitting hats?

HAH!

As part of the grant I received from Oberlin's Creativity and Leadership Fund, I proposed that I would design paired men's and women's accessory patterns, but focus particularly on the style and wearability of the men's knits. Although there are some really fabulous designers who offer knits for men, the pool of available designs just isn't as big as the one for women. Which makes sense, since a large percentage of knitters are women knitting for themselves - I know I am!

But I've also had those times when a male friend asks me for a knit with a particular "feel" to it without necessarily knowing whether that means cables or colorworks, or I want to make something nice-looking (and yet manly) as a gift, and I come up with nothing that quite works.* I think it would be awesome if knitters both like me and radically different than me had a crapton of stylish men's knits from which to choose from, and if those things were both wearable and interesting to knit.

And to that end, I really hope that Salt Creek fills that desire for others as much as it did for me.

And also: thanks, Lumberjack, for being patient with me in situations such as this.

Me: Let's move you out to the mud, I think there's more light out there. Now crouch down.
Lumberjack: My knees don't bend that way.
Me: Hang on... oops... okay, you'll be fine.
Lumberjack: Why is there no pizza?

(I did not include the crouchy pictures. Sometimes I think I'm more of a photographer than I actually am.)

*Also, because it will totally bug me if I don't say something about it: I am grossly, grossly generalizing here. As a recent Oberlin graduate I desperately want to complicate the shit out of this whole Gendering Knits thing, and how it's sort of silly to label a lace beret as a "Women's Knit" and a cabled one as a "Men's Knit" because hello, that's dumb. Lace is awesome, and it's only our cultural marking of lace that makes it feminine, not anything about its actual intrinsic properties. But, since I live within a culture that operates under the assumption of a gender binary, I have to simplify it down to "Knits That Are Culturally Accepted as Masculine" and "Knits That Are Culturally Accepted as Feminine", ergo, Men's Knits and Women's Knits.

Hat! Challenge! Part 1: #09 Eyelet Cap in Buffalo Gals

2011-08-26T13:30:00.000-04:00

First up in the Hat Challenge is this Cathy Carron pattern, #09 Eyelet Cap from the Fall 2009 issue of Vogue Knitting. (It always throws me off, how generic Vogue pattern names can be. "Eyelet cap" doesn't exactly stick in your mind.) This will be my hat pattern for September. I love how simple and slouchy it is, and I can easily imagine a hat like this being coveted by knitters and non-knitters alike.

As for the yarn, I'll be using this gorgeous 50/50 bison/alpaca blend from Buffalo Gals. The yarn is called "Homage to the New World", which more than makes up for the hat's boring name! I got this yarn at The Swift Stitch in Santa Cruz, California. I grabbed this yarn in particular because. OMG. It is so freaking soft. The shop is a very cute LYS with friendly employees and a fabulous selection of sock yarn and luxury fibers, great samples, and a comfy couch for the non-knitting friend or significant other to chill while you wait. It has a loft above the shop, so there are wooden stairs between the cash register and shelving that create a little corner of sock yarn. There's also a great bakery right next door, as well as a little vintage shop in one of the other buildings in the complex.

Now, to swatch!

Next up: Hat Challenge Project #2. So many hats queued, so little time...

FO Post: Triinu Scarf

2011-08-25T08:00:00.001-04:00

Triinu is done, at long last! I had such a fun time with the last few hours of this project. The two edgings are very simple, but they really make the yarn shine. This scarf is so soft and light.

Yesterday I stayed home from work to work on finishing up a hat I'm designing, which is now blocking in my studio. It was really nice to have a relaxed day at home, and I got a lot done on the knitting/blogging front. Working 40 hours a weeks has seriously cut down on my time for those two things, so it felt sort of decadent to take pictures of FOs, update Ravelry, finish my hat, and write blog posts for the majority of the day!

On a different note, Tuesday night we had a bit of a scare: Lumberjack and I were driving home, only to be cut off by two big fire engines heading past us towards our apartment complex. When we got there, all of the roads in the complex were lined with fire engines, cop cars, ambulances. Turns out it was a little overkill, and that a small kitchen fire had been contained two buildings down from ours. Still nice to know that police and fire respond so quickly to even small events.

Annnd because I am who I am, I couldn't resist a few silly pictures with Triinu. I haz a bonnet!

Pattern: Triinu Scarf, by Nancy Bush, from Knitted Lace of Estonia

Yarn: Artyarns Cashmere 1, most of a 510-yard skein

Needles: Size 4 US Addi Turbo Lace

Modifications: I added two extra repeats of the center pattern. Otherwise, none.

FO Post: Silk Thermal

2011-08-24T19:51:00.001-04:00

Once upon a time, I bought two skeins of Claudia Handpainted Silk Lace and the pattern for a silk t-shirt, thinking that it would be an awesome idea to knit an entire fitted silk sweater on size 1 needles. (Cue nervous laughter and facial tics here.) That was 2009. I technically finished this sweater in late 2010 while I was in Japan, but it sat in my basket for a long time for three reasons:

First, I just didn't like the color I chose. It was the only color the store had two skeins of at the time, and I was so eager to give the project a shot that I bought them and tried to forget the fact that pale blue and yellow aren't exactly staple colors in my wardrobe. Last weekend, I finally dyed the damn thing. I was much happier with the overall color, but sadly the second problem was not alleviated, as explained below.

Second, this colorway that the unfortunate side effect of pooling in giant navy blue patches square in the center of my short rows, ie, my boobs. You can see a little bit of the target-boob action going on especially in the picture above. In a sweater this fitted, in this tiny a yarn, there was absolutely no freaking way I was going to get away with leaving out short-rows, because my bust measurement is too much bigger than my waist measurement to reasonably make up the difference in two inches of sweater without the help of short rows.

If I had chosen a solid colorway, this problem would not have occurred. Le sigh.

Third, I knit the sleeves exactly as recommended, and I hate how tight they are. The fit of the body is excellent, although if I were to wear it with jeans, I'd want it to be three or four inches longer. In the case of the sleeves, though, I do not need to walk around feeling self-conscious about how my arms look like little blue sausages. End of story.

The second and third problems are really a dealbreaker when it comes to wearing this sweater out of the house. Which is a shame, because it fits really well in many other ways, it's soft and comfy as hell, and I love the overall color.

So, all in all, kind of a total failure in the wearability department. Except - except! - that it will make a spectacular thermal for chilly winter nights in the apartment, or early-morning hikes, or pajamas for backpacking. Silk always strikes me as a funny fiber - in my head, I usually lump it with natural, non-animal fibers in terms of its drape and memory, but it doesn't really fit in with those, either. Unlike cotton, it's incredibly warm - there's a reason you can buy fancy silk long underwear, and I imagine its warmth was a big reason for its popularity as stockings for royalty in their drafty castles.

Two years in the making and not quite right in a lot of ways, but I'm still glad I finished this project. It was my first time inserting short rows into a project, my first experience using silk laceweight, and my first time making a turned hem, which in my opinion is a gorgeous, polished way to finish off a piece of knitting.

Oh well. Knit and learn.

Pattern: Warm Me Up, a leaflet from Claudia Hand Painted Yarns
Yarn: 1.3 skeins of Claudia Hand Painted Silk Lace, about 1400 yards in total
Needles: Size 1 US Addi Turbos
Modifications: Short rows in the bust, shortening the shoulders after casting off the neckline in the back.

I put my brainstorming hat on...

2011-08-23T08:00:00.003-04:00

Porom, fall 2008

So in the past few weeks, I've been sifting through photos to put up on my Ravelry stash page. During this process, I've come to a few realizations:

One: I have made precious few hats, and even fewer if you count hats for myself, in my five-year tenure as a knitter who works on projects between an hour and four hours every day. What's up with that?

Alkene hat, fall 2008

Two: the hats that I do make are almost always on a total whim. The above hat, I knit right before an organic chemistry exam, using some scraps of Malabrigo and the idea of putting interlocking alkenes all around the brim of the hat. (Okay, so I totally doodled in class. A lot.)

Other times, I have some yarn that I want to use up, so I cast on without swatching and finish the hat in less than a week. Such is the case with both Porom and the two hats below.

Five Dollar Hat - legal name Vine and Leaf Beret, January 2010

Three: I have a ton of hats queued. I know exactly what yarns I would use, and I have a whole list of patterns that I think are super cute. So why the hell haven't I knit them yet?!

Pink corduroy hat aka Blume hat, summer 2010

Four: I make the same damn face in all of my hat pictures. Hahahah.

What to make of all of this business? Well, I've been thinking. I've been feeling like I'm in a bit of a knitting rut lately - only making lace and sometimes a random sweater or pair of socks. I'd like to challenge myself to go outside my comfort zone, because that's when I feel like I learn the most, and have the most fun.

Conclusion: I'm going to put together all those super cute patterns and awesome yarn and make myself a Hat Club à la Yarn Harlot's Self-Imposed Sock Club. I'm thinking a hat a month until December. That's four hats, which I definitely have the yarn for in my stash already. Can I do it?

....maybe.

(I'm also scheming that there should be something in it for you guys for sticking with me. Hee hee hee. Details to follow!)

Outfit Post: Lace and Boots

2011-08-22T08:00:00.001-04:00

On Saturday, the Lumberjack, the brother and I went for a little expedition. I needed to open a bank account in the city, so we all piled into the car and went for an adventure. After we were finished, we decided to go look for giant stuffed pigs at the Sanrio store. After that, the boys wanted to go to the game store, and I wanted to check out Free People.

This dress is one of their summer offerings. It's a little bit blousey on top, with puffed sleeves, a slightly A-line skirt (with a little bit of tulle peeking out at the bottom!!) and a spectacular color. I saw it and fell deeply in love.

I wore it out Sunday to visit with an old friend, and found it to be another perfect weekend dress. Gotta have those, you know.

In general, I thought I wasn't much for the Free People aesthetic. But I actually find it sort of reminiscent of many of the styles I saw in Japan last year: romantic colors and materials, styling soft pieces with tough or rustic accessories, feminine, drapey and flattering cuts. All of these things I like.

Oh Free People. You can free me any day of the week.

Dress: Free People, Summer 2011

Earring: Tasi

Belt: from thrifted dress

Combat boots: J Shoes

Stash Appreciation: Creatively Dyed Woodbrook

2011-08-16T22:22:00.000-04:00

This is, I think, the yarny equivalent of a bikini shot. The yarn? Creatively Dyed Woodbrook, a super squishy worsted weight yarn I picked up at the Great Lakes Fiber Festival this last June. I love the color, a perfect vintage coral; it's a color I would like to have as close to my face as possible. Haven't decided yet what it will be, but it's a pretty big skein (250 yards!) that could probably make a slouchy hat or a fitted hat and short handwarmers.

In other news, my Lumberjacky photographer is out in San Francisco this week, and I've got a schedule full of appointments and interviews, so I'll be a bit sparse on the posting front. Hope everybody is having a happy Tuesday!

WIP: Toya Pakeh Scarf

2011-08-15T08:00:00.023-04:00

On Saturday, my family had a party over at my apartment complex to celebrate my graduation from Oberlin and my (now slightly less new) apartment. Among those in attendance: my preschool teacher, my piano teacher, an aunt I hadn't seen in four years, and two of my friends from middle school. It was seriously cool to have so many of the people who have loved and supported me over the years in the same place, and it was a great excuse to get together with those I had fallen out of touch with while in college.

After the main party, a few of my friends stayed on, and we drank cider, played Apples to Apples, and probably kept the neighbors up too late. I didn't have anything simple to knit, so I grabbed this handspun from Oberlin and cast on for this super simple basketweave scarf.

This is probably the seventh or eighth one of these scarves I've ever made. The first one - my first project ever, actually - is the Lumberjack's, and hangs in my front closet. We didn't talk for about five years, but he kept the damn thing the whole time, and wore it, and washed it carefully; it's Wool-ease, but it's held up very nicely.

This colorway in particularly reminds me of the clear waters off the coasts of Nusa Penida, the Indonesian island where I went on a Winter Term trip about two years ago. This yarn was originally going to become legwarmers, since I actually needed legwarmers in Ohio, but since I've moved back to warmer, drippier climes, I decided that it would be much better as a scarf.

I think I may also write up a short recipe for this scarf. It's a nice little stashbuster for about 350 yards of worsted weight, whether a simple wool or precious handspun, and makes a long, cozy scarf that's interesting to knit but not too fancy for the dudes. (This one, though, is all mine.)

Stash Appreciation: Knitting Notions Classic Merino Superwash

2011-08-11T08:00:00.000-04:00

This gorgeous colorway of Knitting Notions's superwash sock yarn, called Apple Green, is a skein that I picked up during last year's Great Lakes Fiber Festival down in Wooster. I think it's destined to become one of Cookie A's off-the-grid socks, probably Pointelle (rav link). I love the way she combined the diagonal travelling motifs and the lacy elements, and I think the light tonal variation of this yarn would make the pattern pop.

Plus, I really need to make an effort to be a product knitter for a while - another pair of socks bit the dust yesterday! Now, to let go of my ridiculous inability to finish anything that isn't just right, or get distracted by shiny Estonian lace. Right now my sock drawer could really use a boost.

And, luckily these stash photos are getting double usage: as I may or may not have already mentioned, I've begun the process of photographing and cataloging all of my yarn stash on Ravelry.

I'll say that again to let it sink in, for my own benefit.

All of my stash. All of my stash. All of my stash. All of my stash.

That is... a lot of yarn, guys.

Holy cheeseballs, I think I need a paper bag to hyperventilate into.

Pointelle photo copyright Laura Kicey

WIP: Leaf and Nupp Shawl

2011-08-10T08:00:00.004-04:00

Because I can't keep my needles empty of Estonian lace for even an hour, right after I cast off Triinu, I cast on for another shawl. Friends, this has become a truly epic endeavor: I'm going to knit every shawl in Knitted Lace of Estonia. There's fourteen patterns, and I've knit six of them. Of those six, I've knit a few twice, and Miralda four times. I also have a few languishing in my UFO basket.

This one in particular is a little spicier than the others. Lilac Leaf is probably the simplest of the nuppy shawls, with only an edging of nupps and a plain lace-patterned body. Leaf and Nupp, on the other hand, laughs in the face of simplicity.

If you'll excuse me for a moment, the shawl would like to share a freestyle poem.

HOW I ROLL
BY
LEAF AND NUPP

I WILL TAKE YOU DOWN
AND YOUR MINI CROCHET HOOK TOO
PURL ROWS ARE FOR SUCKERS
DEAL WITH IT
VARYING STITCH COUNTS?
I EAT THEM FOR BREAKFAST
OH, YOU WANTED TO CAST ON JUST THE ONE TIME?
HAH! HAH! HAH!
I'M GONNA GO HANG OUT WITH YOUR MOM
BECAUSE YOUR WAFFLE IRON KNITS BETTER
THAN YOUR DUMB ASS

.......

annnnnd I'm out.

WIP: Pre-Blocking Triinu Scarf

2011-08-09T08:00:00.003-04:00

So I cast on this Triinu Scarf, another pattern from Knitted Lace of Estonia, back in late April. I worked on it pretty religiously for a few weeks, and then travelling, commissions, and moving happened and it got shoved into a project bag until I could properly devote enough time to figuring out how many repeats I wanted to do. I had one skein of Artyarns Cashmere 1, which is about 510 yards. I wanted to use up as much yarn as possible, but still leave enough yarn for repairs, should I need to do them.

It was also a different construction method than I've used for any of my other Estonian lace projects: this time, I used a crochet cast-on and picked up the live stitches to complete the scarf. In the others that I've done, I knit the edging first, then the body of the scarf, then broke the yarn, cast on a second edging and grafted it on. This one had I knit the edging last, cast off with yarn doubled, and used live stitches to knit the other edging. I have to say, I really liked this method - I've had a load of trouble with the grafting part of the edging before, particularly with cashmere. This yarn is really soft, but it's a single and felts to whatever it touches - including cotton! I had a tough time even getting the crochet to pull out without sticking to the yarn, which means that making a mistake while grafting is really, really hard to fix.

I blocked it last night, so I'll be sharing how it turned out soon! The finished size was about 54 inches, and I did a total of 31 repeats of the center chart, increased a smidge from the recommended 29 repeats. I blocked my Peacock Tail and Leaf at the same time, so I might take some proper pictures of that one too.

Stash Appreciation: Sanguine Gryphon Gaia Lace

2011-08-05T13:25:00.000-04:00

My first day at Sock Summit, I got to go to the marketplace preview. I really wanted to check out the Sanguine Gryphon booth, since I've seen so many beautiful skeins on the blogs I read. By the time I got there, though, the booth was insane - the line was probably thirty people long, and there were even more people in the booth looking at the yarn. I went in briefly, but since Lumberjack was waiting for me outside I didn't want to wait in line for too long. Instead, I moved on to other shops, and ended up finding more Sanguine Gryphon at Knit Purl, one of the local yarn shops in Portland.

They didn't have Skinny Bugga, which is one of the yarns what I was interested in buying, but they did have a bunch of gorgeous colors of Gaia Lace. I hadn't heard much about it before, but the moment I touched it I knew I had to try a skein. It's a cashmere/silk blend like most of my Jade Sapphire stash, but Gaia is smoother and less crunchy than a lot of silk blends. Plus the color is fantastic: it's mostly a warm lilac color, but there are little shots of copper throughout.

I think this skein is destined to become a Brandywine Shawl (rav link here). One of my coworkers is working on a Brandywine, and I saw a few really pretty versions at Sock Summit. Time for me to get out of my Miralda/Swallowtail rut and expand my shawl-knitting repertoire!

Outfit Post: I Think I'm A Beer Wench

2011-08-04T13:26:00.000-04:00

I got this black corduroy dirndl-style dress back in January, when the Lumberjack and I first got in to Oberlin. A very, very long time ago I posted about a corduroy shirtdress on Etsy that I loved, and when I found this (albeit slightly different) one and it fit not only properly but perfectly, I snapped it up. I think it cost about $12, and from what I can tell it was handmade. I wore it once in Oberlin, but one of the seams at the back came undone and I had to take it out of rotation for a while. Finally, a couple of weeks ago I stitched it back up and I've been itching to wear it since.

The overall outfit, with the poofy sleeves and the fitted bodice, makes me look like I'm slinging ale in a little Bavarian hamlet. All the better to sling yarn in, right?

Black dress: thrifted corduroy dirndl
Red blouse: BCBG Max Azria, thrifted
Shoes: Fluevog Operetta Viardot

Kimono earrings: shop in the Gion district of Kyoto

WIP Post: Anthro-Inspired Scarflette

2011-08-03T12:10:00.000-04:00

I haven't blogged this one yet, despite its being in existence for over two months, because I thought it would be more of an instant gratification project. Turns out I was wrong, as shinier lace and sweater projects have cast it into the shadows. I recently picked it up again so I could finish something - anything - but the straight knitting part is driving me nutty. This is in large part due to the pattern, which is sort of sketchily written and forgot integral information like how long to make the neck part of the scarflette. I realize that most people can just infer that, but it was weird to finish the shaping at the little petal, establish the wider straight part of the neck, and have the next direction tell me to k2tog all the way across the row. Ah well - free pattern, cute result. I can't complain.

The yarn is Madelinetosh Vintage, a worsted weight yarn with a lot of bounce. I love working with it and would definitely consider it for my next worsted weight sweater. Also, this pink is the exact shade of sakura flowers in the spring. Now I just need to finish the damn thing...

Stash Appreciation: Plucky Knitter MCN Worsted

2011-08-01T08:00:00.003-04:00

I'm back from Sock Summit with a metric crapload of yarn and a lot of new ideas. I took classes with Nancy Bush, Cookie A, and Franklin. They were all great teachers in entirely different ways: Nancy Bush has a wealth of knowledge about traditional knitting techniques and was incredibly patient and clear in her instructions; Cookie A is super friendly, a total math whiz, and generous in sharing her brilliant ideas and the process behind her creativity; Franklin is humble and funny, and great at explaining the finer points of photography in a way that is approachable and easy to understand. I feel really lucky to have learned from all of them, and it was really cool to see such diversity in their skills and passions.

I also really appreciated that each of them said something about creativity that really resonated with me. From Nancy Bush, I learned that you becomes an expert at something by pursuing it steadfastly and accepting the help of others. From Cookie A, that there's a time for planning, but that playing with what's in front of you is equally important. From Franklin, that even if you feel like a reclusive weirdo, that you are okay and good; that certain brains have a harder time filtering information in large and intense sensory situations, and there's nothing wrong with that.

A confession, though: I have a hard time being around so many people and so many amazing things at once. I loved seeing so many knits in the wild, and I really enjoyed interacting with other knitters. But I'm not going to lie and say that I had the most amazing time ever in the world, because I almost cried on the train back to the hotel on the first night of classes. It made me miss my knitting friends in Oberlin terribly, and it made me feel lost and faceless in a sea of strangers, and it made me realize that I need to be less nervous and critical of myself when interacting with other people. So although overall the experience was awesome, it also brought up some of my social quirks that were frustrating to deal with in the midst of so much good energy and so many happy people.

On a happier note, and did I mention the yarn? This is the covetable Plucky Knitter Primo Worsted MCN in the colorway Sticky Toffee. I'm not sure what it's going to be yet, but I was enticed by the depth and warmth of this burnt orange. I was going through my stash a bit ago and noticed that I have very few single skeins of worsted or DK weight yarns, so I really tried to pick up some heavier weights along with my normal fingering and laceweights. I also tended heavily towards warm colors - peachy pinks and red-purples, deep reds, and rich oranges. I was able to pick up some long sought-after brands that I've heard of but never seen in person: SweetGeorgia, Sanguine Gryphon, and the Plucky Knitter, among others. I've never seen so much incredible yarn and color in the same place before.

Leaving for Sock Summit!

2011-07-27T13:28:00.000-04:00

Armed with sock yarn (much more than you see pictured), a multitude of projects, some good reading and snacks (mm Gushers), I'm off to Sock Summit! Hope to see you there!

WIP Post: Stella Blouse

2011-07-26T08:00:00.001-04:00

So, after a couple of weeks of dragging her around in my purse and stealing a few rows here and there, the Stella blouse has a back. I cast off this last weekend. At first I was a little confused by the back, but after dividing and working on the first armhole, I finally realized what was going on: not a v-shaped back, but a cute little keyhole. I'm liking the longer length, too - I think it really needed it to fit properly.

The pattern, Lace Blouse by Erika Knight, is a little skimpy on the instructions, but through my patented Close Eyes, Hold Breath, and Knit As If Everything Made Sense Method, it's been turning out pretty well.

And I'm in love with Kidsilk Haze. Anything you knit from it turns into a confection worthy of rubbing your face in.

Now, to knit a front, two sleeves, and a placket... better get crackin'!

Outfit Post: Warm Weekend

2011-07-25T08:00:00.003-04:00

This weekend was super laid-back - something I really, really needed! I was going to go to an alumni picnic on Capitol Hill on Saturday, but since I had a one-day weekend last week, I felt much more like sitting around in my pajamas and knitting all day. So that's what I did.

Saturday night, though, my brother, the Lumberjack, and I went to see Captain America. It was an unexpectedly fun movie, and I loved the 40s-inspired costumes. I particularly loved Hayley Atwell's dramatic red lip, which is probably why I reached for the lipstick Sunday morning!

Since graduating, I've definitely become more aware of my wardrobe's strengths and limitations. I have a ton of great separates that I can combine in fun ways, but I've also noticed that there are some pieces that just aren't work appropriate. I could layer this dress a little bit on top, but it's hard to work with the short short length of the skirt. So, I think I'll be keeping this as a weekend-only dress - but that's just fine with me!

I went a little crazy for having nowhere to go Sunday: dark red lipstick, contacts, eyeliner & mascara, blush, and some sparkly powder as eyeshadow. It's a little reminder of how much work makeup can be. I usually wear mineral foundation and blush and that's about it, since my eyes are super sensitive from allergies during the summer. It's fun to play with it once in a while, though.

You'll also notice that I'm not wearing my flats, for the first time in forever. I'm still head over heels for my Fluevog Belle Star sandals, which my mom got for me as a birthday present. They're super comfortable, and I love the color. Here's hoping that Seattle provides a little more sandal weather in the upcoming weeks!

Dress: Free People, summer 2010

Ladder necklace: by Made in Life, bought at a Kyoto flea market

Sandals: Fluevog Belle Star

Movie photo credit screenrant.com

Outfit Post: Fail Edition

2011-07-22T13:34:00.000-04:00

You know it's a bad picture-taking day when the best shot is the one where you're giving yourself a ponytail mustache. Needless to say, my outfit post was foiled - this time, by the sun, which today is abnormally... present.

I've been working on updating my stash page on Ravelry and working a whole lot at my two jobs - that along with the fact I got a one-day weekend last week has made getting blog content together a smidge harder! Bear with me while I flail about and try to be a little more with it next week. Have a great weekend!

Stash Appreciation: Tosh Sock in Coral

2011-07-20T01:02:00.000-04:00

Stash: Madelinetosh Tosh Sock. I now have four or five skeins of this in my stash, and I love all of them as madly as the last. This cutie, the colorway of which is called Coral but reads much like a Grapefruit to me, was bought during one of my yarn excursions in Ohio. I haven't yet decided what it will be, but I think whatever it is, it needs to be close to my face.

So the last couple of days have been insane! Yesterday I went on a little bit of a Goodwill binge, although the lovely thing about Goodwill binges is that they end up costing you like seventy dollars for four really awesome items, and then you don't have to feel quite so bad. Today, I went out with the Lumberjack and his mom to get him some semi-formal clothes for an interview tomorrow. Godspeed, Lumberjack! And now it's time for me to go to bed, so I can get up early tomorrow to give a practice SAT exam to a bunch of munchkins (I mean high schoolers). It's times like these that I'm grateful to be out of my standardized testing days.

So, onward ho! - and all of that.

FO Post: Miralda for Kathy

2011-07-18T21:34:00.001-04:00

So I was planning to write something actually intelligible about this particular finished project. However, twenty minutes ago when I was lying on the patio trying to get that perfect photo of some yarn, I noticed this funny white gunk on the yarn. And realized that it was pure pollen. And that I was lying in it. Fifteen minutes ago I started wheezing, five minutes later the Lumberjack got me a Benadryl, and now I'm staring at the screen feeling like someone just stuffed my cranium full of angora rabbits.

So! Without further ado, (I almost spelled that adieu... apparently I turn French [and have moments of thinking that obviously French words are German. Huh.] when my head is gently exploding from antihistamines)...... uhmmmmmmm

......anyways, here's the damn shawl.

Pretty. Cashmere/silk. Made me very happy when blocking.

Pattern: Miralda's Triangular Shawl
Yarn: Jade Sapphire Cashmere/Silk 2-ply, 2 skeins
Yardage: about 700 yards
Needles: size 7 Addi Turbo Lace
Modifications: a;dk
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Outfit Post: Totally Mod One Piece

2011-07-15T09:00:00.001-04:00

When I was visiting my friend Emily in New Haven right after graduation, I stopped into a vintage store, ostensibly to buy a bag to replace my purse, whose handle had unexpectedly snapped. As often happens when I'm in a vintage store, I had to look around, and the Lumberjack pulled this little beauty off of the rack with the comment, "It's brown! And look at the skirt, it's not boring!"

Then I tried it on, and it was definitely not boring; impeccably fitted, deliciously mod, belted, with orange flowers on the skirt. That Lumberjack has some good eyes.

So I bought it, and washed it, and yesterday I wore it and felt adorable all day at work.

I think it would be really fun to try making a skirt that had a graphic floral underlayer and a lacey overlay - I love the print! I also really like that this dress is decidedly of a certain time period (polyester, a-line skirt, funnel neck, would go great with go-go boots) but still manages to look awesome right now. I'm sure it'll see a lot of wear!

Dress: Vintage

Shoes: Fellowship Kathy by John Fluevog

Socks: Handknit

Earrings: another Oberlin purchase

Blue mug, purveyor of coffee, preventer of crankiness and sleepy mumbling: Ikea

Stash Appreciation: Claudia Handpaints Fingering Weight

2011-07-14T13:23:00.000-04:00

About three years ago, I had a protracted love affair with Claudia Handpaints. I made two pairs of socks out of their fingering weight yarn and loved them, then bought two skeins of their silk laceweight to make a blouse. I love their variegated colorways, and the yarn is absurdly soft. The two pairs of socks bit the dust while I was in Japan, thanks to that cranky pair of shoes, but both of them lasted about two years - pretty impressive!

These two skeins, of the colorway Desert Dusk, are likely destined to become socks too. I might flip through my copy of Knitting Socks with Handpainted Yarn to find a pattern that does the colors justice. I love how the yarn could be a pretty neutral tonal variegated, if not for the ridiculously bright blue shots throughout. The colors are definitely Southwestern, and it will be nice to have a little bit of sunshine on my feet in the middle of all this grey summer weather we're having.

WIP: Lace Top by Erika Knight

2011-07-13T08:00:00.011-04:00

I cast on this cute little lace top last week, and immediately had to frog hundreds of stitches of Kidsilk Haze because despite counting three times, I cast on 118 stitches instead of 117. (I'm the kind of person who can't just k2tog at the end of the row. It will always bother my neurotic little mind.) After that catastrophe, I re-cast on successfully and now have about seven inches of lace knit during episodes of Beck and True Blood.

So far it's a pretty enjoyable piece of fluff. It doesn't have any waist shaping, but I made sure to get gauge and plan for 2" of negative ease in the chest, so hopefully with a belt or a high-waisted skirt it will be nicely fitted. I didn't want to change the pattern too much, since I'm making it as a sample for the shop where I work.

I'm really absurdly excited for this color to be in my wardrobe after it's done taking its turn as a sample. I have far too few pink blouses! I also think it will be a great multi-seasonal piece - layer it with a long-sleeved tee for winter, a light cardigan for spring, and a camisole for summer.

Oh hey, look at how well I just pretended that Seattle has seasons. In actuality, I should style it like a true Pacific Northwester: socks, Birkenstocks, shorts, and a North Face fleece jacket.

FO Post: Tamamushi Shawl

2011-07-12T08:00:00.001-04:00

Ahhh. After a lot of knitting missteps, being able to knit, block, and take pictures of a shawl within two weeks has been awesome and refreshing. I named this shawl Tamamushi on Ravelry, after the bright green Japanese beetle used to decorate the 7th century Tamamushi Shrine. I was actually able to see the shrine in person when I visited Horyuji. It shows a series of Jataka Tales, or stories of the sacrifices of the Bodhisattva that later became Shakyamuni Buddha. Because the iridescent green beetle wings used to color the shrine are long gone, I can only imagine how beautiful it was when it was first completed. This color really reminded me of that breathtaking green!

Remember how I mentioned the worries I had about the dye with this project? Well, they weren't completely unfounded - a washing in lukewarm water with some Ecover delicate wash turned the water completely turquoise! Luckily, after that initial washing and two more soaks - one in warm water and one in hot - the water ran pretty clear. I usually get a little bit of excess dye in the wash with most of my handwashed clothing and knits, and it ended up being within my limits of acceptable bleeding.

I'm really glad about that, because this shawl is gorgeous. I really love how seasilk blocks. When it was first finished, it was sort of a limp, wrinkly mess, but with a good block, the spine went from 16" deep to 23" deep (!!??!!) and the fabric turned crisp and drapey without losing any of its softness.

I'm slowly building up my jewel-toned shawl collection. I really like having brightly colored accessories for a little flash of color in my outfits, or for combining with other crazy colors in fun and interesting ways! I had just gotten home from work when Lumberjack took the pictures, so I just grabbed this thrifted black and grey minidress for something that wouldn't distract from the color.

Pattern: Swallowtail Shawl, by Evelyn Clark
Yarn: Lunayarns Luna SeaSilk in colorway Neptune's Daughter
Yardage: most of a 437 yard skein, probably ~415 yards
Needles: size 6 US Addi Turbo Lace
Modifications: I think I switched a k2tog to a ssk because it suited the line of the lace more, but no one will ever notice it. Hahah. Otherwise, this pattern is pure gold.

Outfit Post: Lazy Weekend

2011-07-09T17:07:00.000-04:00

A weekend: I has it. So far, today has been eating cereal, watching the Lumberjack play games on my brother' Wii, and swatching. On that note, I'll hopefully have some new things to share in the next couple of weeks - stay tuned!

I keep on reaching for this thrifted and refashioned skirt, especially on days when I want to be comfortable. This outfit is apparently another one of my super neutral and comfy ones. Working all week makes me really appreciate my weekends, and this sort of schedule is definitely a departure from my college schedule. At Oberlin, weekends usually involved twice as much studying than weekdays, so the whole week was for working, and weekend nights were really the only time that I got to take a break.

In other news, I have a second job lined up starting next week! I met my soon-to-be employer when I was thirteen, and he taught me all that I know about dystopian novels, Teletubbies, writing kickass essays, and dark chocolate with chili powder in it. I worked for him all throughout high school at the same English tutoring company where I took classes, and I'm pretty excited to work there again - this time as a brand-spankin' new college grad.

I also chopped my bangs the other day. I had them trimmed about two weeks ago, but they were already starting to get in my eyes again. I've found I like my bangs super short for practicality's sake, and I've started to really like the way they look. Although when I woke up this morning they were sticking straight out. Hahah.

Viva la weekend!

Top: Chalet

Skirt: Thrifted & chopped 90s maxi skirt

Belt: Penguin

Hair flower: H&M

Stash Appreciation: Creatively Dyed Beaches

2011-07-08T09:00:00.001-04:00

I picked up this skein of gorgeous one-ply fingering weight at the Great Lakes Fiber Show in Wooster, Ohio, from Creatively Dyed yarns. My mom and I have gone to this show two years in a row, and although I'm not sure I'll be able to make it next year since I'm no longer living in the area, I'll definitely keep my eye out for this dyer at other fiber fests! Her entire booth is stuffed with gorgeous yarns - some Wollmeise-esque in their depth and color saturation; others splatter dyed; others, like this gem, in tonal variegated colors.

I was completely overwhelmed at the booth until I saw this skein. It reminds me a lot of the cashmere I used to make Miralda, which is probably why I was initially drawn to it. I tend to underbuy pinks because I think I already have a ton in my stash, which leads to overbuying purples and greens because I think I don't have any of those, what with the copious amounts of pink and all. This one is a droolworthy mixture of vibrant and pale pinks with some subtle violets thrown in. Overall the color is a little cooler than it appears in these photos.

I'm not sure yet what this skein will become. A lot of my skeins from festival dyers seem almost too special to knit, so they sit looking pretty in my stash for a long time. Anybody else have that problem? Something is so gorgeous and coveted that knitting it up almost seems like wasting it?

In any case, who are we kidding. This is totally going to become lace. What type of lace? Only time will tell.

Outfit Post: Silk and Trousers

2011-07-07T13:41:00.000-04:00

Today dawned grey and drizzly, so I reached for pants. These are one of my favorite pairs - dark dark dark navy blue, high waisted and pleated in front. I know this is a terrible fashion faux pas in the eyes of some, but I like them. The first time I tried them on, my first thought was Hammer Pants, and as a child of the early nineties, that evokes more nostalgia than ick.

I do need to do a bit of repairs on them. The seam at the hem is ripped out in some places, which is sort of a pain, and the length of the pants necessitates at least a small heel.

The cardigan is another thrifting find from the epic excursion with Sparkle and the Lumberjack. I bought it because it was listed as a cotton/silk blend, an unusual find. Plus beads - I can't resist beads.

The earrings were a gift from my friend Emily. Although you can't see it here, the lipstick is Chanel. I inherited it from my aunt when she did a purge of all of her lipsticks, and I sort of love it. It's too bad that Chanel anything is out of my price range, because it's a really smooth lipstick that doesn't come off on your coffee cup. I like it, and this is coming from a girl who hates lipstick.

The shirt is a mud-dyed silk blouse from China. I got it in one of the shops down in Pike Place Market. I love the neutral color combined with the intricate details - it makes it special without being too over-the-top.

Overall this is a more neutral outfit for me. I've made some grave offenses to conventional fashion wisdom (see: do not wear black with navy; do not wear pleated pants if you are even sort of curvy) but for the sort of weather we're having, it feels cozy but sharp enough to work in.

Have a great day!

Pants: Liz Claiborne, thrifted

Blouse: Chinese brand carried at Simo Silk in Seattle

Beaded cardigan: thrifted

Socks: Handknit

Shoes: Fluevog Fellowship Kathy

WIP Post: Swallowtail 2.0, Finished but Unblocked

2011-07-06T15:40:00.000-04:00

I cast off Swallowtail this morning - another quick knit and a great palate cleanser. This is the shawl pre-blocking. The spine is just about 16 inches deep, which is way too small to wear as a proper shawl or scarf at this point. My first Swallowtail grew quite a bit in size, though, and I expect the same with this one. I also had plenty of yarn left over, so no nail-biting on finishing.

So pretty.

Now it's time to swatch for other projects! Whee! Maybe I'll even manage to block this guy within a month of finishing it.

WIP: Swallowtail Shawl #2

2011-07-05T09:00:00.001-04:00

The other day I was in the mood to cast on for something new and fast, so I took a skein of seasilk I got a while back and started a second Swallowtail shawl. The first one was really fun and only took about four days. This one is taking a little longer, but that's okay. Swallowtail is the potato chip of lace knitting: easily memorized chart, a couple nupps thrown in for fun, and done before you know it.

This is the second time I've worked with a seasilk yarn. The first was Handmaiden Seasilk, which I loved working with but found a little bit sticky, especially on the brass Addi Turbo Lace needles. This seasilk is from Etsy seller Lunayarns, who I posted about before here. The colorway is a lovely combination of apple and minty greens. I love how subtly variegated yarns add depth, particularly to lace. I've also found that this yarn is softer and smoother than the Handmaiden.

As with most seasilks, there are little slubs of fiber in the yarn. They're relatively easy to pick out. When I was at work the other day I heard someone complaining about these slubs on a Handmaiden yarn, but to me it's just part of working with this fiber. Just like stockinette is nice and flat, but curls like crazy, there are certain things you just have to accept about certain fibers. Whether or not that's a dealbreaker is a really personal thing. For example, alpaca is not one of my favorite fibers. I love the softness, its warmth, and its particular sheen, but I don't like how limp and flat it can be, especially after it's been worn. Because of that, I'm more careful when selecting alpaca yarns. For some people, those positive attributes completely outweigh the negatives - it's just an issue of personal taste, and luckily for us, the yarn market is diverse enough to provide for all sorts of preferences.

The only thing that's ever a true dealbreaker is dye that isn't properly set even after washing. I was listening to Doubleknit #54 the other day and they were talking about Jessica's Damson (rav link) that was indigo dyed and turned her hands blue as she knit. The final verdict was that the dye was set improperly, and that it would never really stop bleeding. Definitely not good to put that much work into something only to have it ruin your clothes!

This yarn has been bleeding on my fingers as I knit, but I'm hopeful that there's just a little dye that wasn't exhausted and a good washing will solve the problem. I might also talk to my mom and see what I could use. I've heard that Synthrapol kills the texture of silk, but I might try adding some vinegar to the bath if the regular hand-wash detergent I use doesn't work.

FO Post: Miralda 2.0

2011-07-04T09:00:00.001-04:00

As often happens with my lace knits, I blocked this one over a month ago and just wove in the ends this morning. Although this time, I have a totally legitimate excuse - moving across the country. Right? Right!

It's amazing how even the 50/50 silk-cashmere and 100% cashmere differ in their drape and hand. Miraldette has very crisp lines and a slightly crunchy hand, while Miralda 2.0 is nothing but soft, fluffy goodness. That being said, I've found the pure cashmere to be more delicate and prone to snagging and tearing. My first Miralda needed two repairs in the year that I had her; so far, in six months, the 50/50 silk-cashmere version has held up beautifully. When the yarn does snag, it's fairly easy to pull it back into place. I also love the slight sheen that the silk-cashmere has. They're just two very different beasts.

I really missed this color in my wardrobe. I have a dark grey trench that looks fabulous with such a bright pink. I also love that this yarn doesn't pill as it wears, it merely gets softer and grows a delicate halo. As usual, the perfect yarn for the perfect pattern.

Pattern: Miralda's Triangular Shawl, from Knitted Lace of Estonia by Nancy Bush

Yarn: Jade Sapphire Mongolian Cashmere 4-Ply, colorway Vintage Rose

Yardage: approx. 700 yards, or 1.75 skeins

Needles: Size 7 US Addi Turbo Lace

Modifications: Doubled cable-cast on instead of knitted cast-on for bottom edge. I like the sturdiness and almost braided appearance of this cast-on for lace.

Happy 4th of July to those of you in the US, and happy Monday to everybody else!

Outfit Post: Mondo Meets the Flintstones

2011-07-01T09:00:00.003-04:00

Who knows what I was thinking with this one. I think it started with grabbing a grey dress, then trying to figure out how to funk it up - it's a plain scoop-neck sleeveless dress, so I like to wear something interesting over it. Then I started thinking Mondo. Crazy prints, crazy colors, lots of black and neon. I was also trying to do something a little less boring with my hair. Usually I either wear it down or in a loose bun. Snore. I got the idea from this tutorial on the ballerina bun, but taken very, very loosely.

The one drawback? This updo made my head hurt. I took it down right before I drove home and was not pleased with the sensation. It's probably just because my hair is so heavy, but it was enough to make me not want to do it again. Otherwise, this outfit was really comfortable - apparently I've been all about that lately!

Grey crinkle dress: Chalet
Mondo-style shirt: from the Oberlin Free Store
Yellow sweater: thrifted
Belt: thrifted
Earrings: Ginko Gallery
Shoes: John Fluevog, Fellowship Kathy
Socks: Waving Lace socks, hand-knit

Stash Appreciation: Tosh Sock Amber Trinket

2011-06-30T10:00:00.004-04:00

So my mom went to San Francisco for a conference this last weekend, and when she picked me up from work on Tuesday, she gave me a souvenir present of Tosh Sock in the colorway Amber Trinket. This color is crazy-deep - purple at first glance, with undertones of amber, green, orange, and pink in the light. It's seriously pretty.

Now I just have to find the appropriate pattern for it. I've been drooling over a lot of books lately, particularly Around the World in Knitted Socks and Sock Knitting Master Class. I can think of a couple of twisted-stitch socks from Sock Knitting Master Class that would look awesome. Alternately, maybe one of Glenna C's gorgeous sock patterns would be best. Hmm. Hmmm. Hmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Thoughts?

Outfit Post: Pattern Mixing

2011-06-29T10:00:00.001-04:00

So I was looking in my closet and trying to figure out something comfortable, relatively casual, and suitable for walking about a mile to the pharmacy. I came up with this flannel shirt, this thrifted and hemmed skirt, and these ridiculous socks. Seriously, I don't actually know where they came from. I found them in my sock drawer when I was sixteen without the foggiest idea where they came from.

Laundry day inspires the weirdest outfits. Seriously.

The flannel was thrifted on one of my epic excursions with my friend Sparkle and the Lumberjack. I love that it's flannel, which automatically means comfy, but has some tailored touches as well - the millions of buttons with tiny little button loops (solves the ever-present gappage problem!), the pintucks, and the slight puff above the cuffs.

The skirt I bought for a class project. We had to modify a thrifted item, so I grabbed a super-90s maxi skirt in a rayon fabric, hemmed about 9 inches off the bottom and removed the tacky belt loops. I've actually worn it a surprising amount, and have found the color to be a pleasant neutral. For me, at least.

Actually, come to think of it, all of the clothing in this outfit probably cost me about $10 total. Neat!

These earrings are from Oberlin, and they're made by Ruth, the owner of a shop called Bead Paradise. She's also the mother of my favorite jewelry designers, the two-sister team Tasi, whose pieces are also carried at the shop. I bought these amber drop earrings about two years ago and they've become a favorite member of my earring rotation. I love how simple they are.

Flannel shirt: Thrifted

Skirt: Thrifted

Earrings: Ruth, from Bead Paradise
Belt: from Oberlin's Free Store